Ashes to Ashes
by Gecko Osco
Summary: Love is a tricky thing, not mention when you're young and still trying to understand yourself. Add a gothic girl, a halfa, and a little bit of trouble and we get one hell of a summer. DS of course...maybe slight TV. Completed
1. Part 1: Spark

**A/N:** Alright, trying something a bit different out this time. This actually started out being a one-shot, but my muse went to town on this idea and I got a story arc out of it. I usually don't do just straight romance and angst, but I figured what the heck! It will probably get a bit gritty as the fic progresses, but I'll post warnings in the beginning of each chapter for y'all. Hope y'all like it, enjoy!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part One: Spark**_

She stared outside as the rain pelted against the window, a steady melody that reminded her of all the times she used to run outside in it and splash in the puddles just to anger her parents. A smile crept onto her lips as she thought about when she would dance around in the cold droplets in those stupid, frilly dresses her mother tried to force her to wear, always making sure to save one for such an occasion to utterly ruin it so she would never have to wear it out in public. She had always swore to murder Tucker if he so much as thought to take a picture of her in those get-ups to later use as black-mail, and Samantha Manson could be pretty threatening despite her peaceful views when she wanted to. Her hand curled around the mug of hot cocoa she had made earlier to ward off the unnatural cold that this winter rainstorm brought to Amity Park in the middle of May. Sam furrowed her brows as she contemplated whether or not all the ghost activity her hometown had endured over the years had had somehow permanently affected the weather pattern, but it hardly seemed plausible that undead spirits had that much influence on the living world.

"Unless you count Danny of course," Sam whispered to herself with a small smile on her face that could tell anyone the depth of feeling she had for the aforementioned boy. She made herself blush for a moment before chiding herself how stupid she was acting, shaking her head and causing her shoulder length black hair to sway back and forth. Her strangely lilac-colored eyes stared down into her cocoa cup for a moment in a strange look of bittersweet regret and ironic surprise before she lifted the mug to her lips and drained the rest of it with one large gulp. She rose off the couch she had been sitting on and walked a fair distance to get to the kitchen to put her cup in the sink, running cold water over it so not to burden the maids with extra work. She could hear the phone ring, but she ignored it, letting whoever wanted to talk with her absent parents wait until they returned later that evening, and made her way back towards the large window to stare at the rain.

"Isn't this so damn hilarious Manson?" Sam asked herself in a mocking tone that sounded horrible even to her. "After all the denying and telling him that you didn't want to ruin the friendship, you fall right into the same trap he had once upon a time. I even went so far as telling him I didn't feel that way, telling him that I viewed him only as a friend, and now our roles have flipped…someone up there must have a sick sense of humor." Her gaze was clouded over with burning tears that she refused to let fall, she wouldn't give the…situation…the satisfaction that it had finally gotten to Sam Manson, as if love was an actual person laughing at her.

"Remember when we'd run all day in the rain?" Sam asked the boy who wasn't there, seeing a small boy with hair as dark as hers running around outside with another small boy with glasses and dark skin and a dark-haired girl she recognized as herself. "We used to pretend that it was us who had commanded the rain to fall, and we'd play out there until dark, or until our parents finally made us come inside. Then we'd talk about how we'd always be friends while drinking hot chocolate in whatever house we were at. Everything was so fun back then…everything was so simple."

She heaved a sigh and cast her gaze over towards the door that was the hanging rack for the deep red graduation gown she would have to wear in exactly eight days in front of the whole school as she gave her salutatorian speech to her graduating class. Even she didn't know how she had managed to keep her grades so high throughout high school with all the ghost-hunting she helped Danny with, but somehow she had managed and had been awarded the honor, to the surprise of her parents and the rest of Casper High.

"When we were eight," Sam continued as she looked back outside at the raging gale. "We never worried that we would end up falling…well, just falling for each other. We never worried about going to separate colleges, or about leaving behind those that we lo--…care for. When did things get so complicated between us?"

Sam didn't answer her question, already knowing the answer full well. It had been when Danny had first become half ghost, when he had first accepted the mantle of responsibility that no fourteen year old should have to accept without question. He had been so unsure of himself, Sam remembered with a nostalgic smile, and had needed her and Tucker's help so much…but then he had started to protect them with growing powers and control; even when the town he protected spurned him and called him a menace to society. She had feelings for him back then, but she had ignored them and called them passing fancies so often that she had actually come to believe herself. She had convinced herself that anything more than a platonic relationship between the two of them would ruin the great friendship she had with him…she had been selfish and afraid, and she still was. He had been hurt, but he respected her wishes and never mentioned it again, although Tucker had been furious with her and refused to talk with her for a month.

She could still recall the incident like it was yesterday, it burned her throat and made her stomach turn so much that it made sure she would never forget it. Or maybe it was just her guilt that made her remember…it was rainy that day too.

"_Sam, wait!" he called as she hurried under the bleachers to escape the rain that had begun to fall with a fury. He was still in Phantom form after a fight with the Box Ghost, for which she had snuck out of class to get the Fenton Thermos to him so the annoying little apparition could be sent back to the Ghost Zone when Danny got home. _

"_Well come down here then," she had called out playfully as she started to shake out her damp hair with her fingers. "Not all of us have your immunity to the cold mister Phantom."_

"_Very funny Sam," Danny said with a lop-sided grin as he floated down to her level, his impossibly green eyes glowing with something she couldn't quite place. "And not all of us have that tongue of yours; go easy on a poor ghost-boy that just got finished with a vicious fight with one of his mortal enemies."_

"_Oh stop whining you big baby," Sam said with a light laugh at the puppy dog eyes her best friend was now giving her. He smiled ruefully at her and transformed back into his human form, black hair replacing snowy white and a vivid blue phasing out the green as two bands of white light enveloped his body and then dissipated. He looked back up at her with that unknown look in his eyes again and took a big breath as if he was internally convincing himself of doing something life changing._

"_Listen Sam," he said in a total serious tone that made her a little worried. He only used that tone when talking about Vlad or some other powerful ghost that he had made enemies with at some time or another. "I've been meaning to ask you something for awhile, and I figured that now would be the best time rather than any. What are you doing for the prom Sam?"_

"_Um, nothing…why?" Sam asked back as something began to flash warning signs in her mind._

"_Well," he replied in a slow and nervous manner. "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."_

_Sam felt a whole bunch of things flood her synapse the minute he uttered those words and while she felt a thrill of some feeling swell up her heart, her fear of what this might lead to crushed everything else. "Sure Danny…you know as friends."_

_His face went from being the happiest she had seen him in three years to the saddest, and she took a moment to amaze at how much power those four words had on the halfa. "No Sam," he said in a hollow voice as he shook his head, causing his tousled hair to become even messier. "Not as friends…I meant as a date. Don't you get it Sam? I feel more than that about you, I think I always did and I was just too dense to see it until recently! I've wanted to tell you for so long…Tucker was the one who finally convinced me to just do it, so here I am. Samantha Manson, I'm in lo--"_

"_No Danny," Sam said as she covered his mouth with her small, pale hand, her purple eyes wide. "Don't say it, please don't say it. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't want to ruin anything between us! I just don't…I don't feel that way about you…I'm sorry…"_

_She saw a cold mask of indifference cover his features immediately, the face he wore as Danny Phantom, and he simply nodded his head. He didn't say anything more to her and just turned around and walked back into the rain, back towards the school and away from her. She didn't try to follow him, or even call out to him, just watched him walk away…let him walk away…_

A single tear had trickled out of her eye and fallen down her cheek slowly as the vision of his retreating form faded and she found herself back on her couch, a little over a year later. She wiped at the tear furiously as she remembered how Tucker had bounded up to her the next day, eager to hear that she and Danny were now a couple, only to be shocked when she told him what had happened with a passive face and tone that amazed even her. He had glared at her and called her stupid before storming off, something that had taken a month to wear off. Danny had not avoided her as she thought he would, but he wasn't the same around her…he put up a brave front that fooled everyone but her and Tucker.

That light that had made his eyes so intoxicating had been dimmed whenever he talked to her, and he threw himself into ghost fighting and, surprisingly enough, schoolwork and avoided hanging out with her unless Tucker was with them. It had killed her, but she never voiced a complaint and continued to help him with ghost fighting, all three pretending that everything between their shattered friendship was fine…fooling themselves that everything would stay fine.

"But it didn't," Sam said in a whisper to the boy who still wasn't there. "It didn't stay fine…it was all shot to hell and it was my fault. I caused the rift because I was too afraid of a feeling I was too cynical to believe existed at our age…but didn't we all grow up quicker than anyone else? And now, right when I realize that I feel like I'm in…something…with you, I have to leave. I have to grow up and go away to college while you are tied to this city and its problems because of a choice you made so long ago. Who's going to take care of you when you get to beat up by a ghost now? Who's going to tell you when one of your ideas are so hopelessly stupid? Who's going to watch over you now?"

Sam let the wave of sadness wash over as she watched the rain fall harder outside, as if giving shape to the frustration she felt bubbling inside her. She refused to let anymore tears fall though, and wiped her eyes quickly and got control over her emotions, locking them away again like she had so many times her senior year. She let out one last forlorn sigh before she decided to go up and work on her salutatorian speech, but her plan was interrupted by the familiar jingle of her cell phone in the kitchen. She hurried over and answered it right before it went to her voice-box, noticing briefly that she had missed four calls.

"Hello?" she answered in a slightly out of breath voice; despite her slim form, she wasn't in the greatest athletic shape.

"Sam?" a worried Jazz replied from the other end, her voice sounding raw, as if she had been crying recently. "Where have you been! Tucker and I have been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour, but you didn't answer! Tucker's on his way there now…we didn't know what else to do! No one can find him, and it's getting worse out there and after that fire…"

"What's wrong with him Jazz?" Sam asked in a calm voice that didn't betray the cold dread that was gripping her stomach. She didn't have to ask who Jazz Fenton was talking about; only one person ever inspired this kind of worry in her voice. "What happened?"

"Haven't you been watching the news Sam?" Jazz asked in a frantic voice. "It's all over the news channels…oh my God I don't know why he hasn't come back yet!"

"Hold that thought Jazz," Sam said as the doorbell rang. "I think Tucker's here."

"I have to go," Jazz said suddenly. "My parents want us to go and search for him, and I need to keep my phone free in case he calls. Turn on the T.V. and watch the news."

Before Sam had even opened the door, Jazz had hung up and all she was listening to was the dial-tone. She took the phone away from her ear and opened the door to let the soaking Tucker in, asking immediately, "What's going on Tuck? Where's Danny?"

"We were kinda hoping you could tell us," Tucker said with a forlorn look as he hurried over to the T.V. and turned it on to channel 8, the news station for Amity Park. Sam was about to ask another question, but Tucker turned up the volume of the news show before she could, but what the T.V. was showing quickly took any more questions out of her mouth.

"…_the fires had been over twenty feet high earlier this afternoon, cause still unknown, and it seems that all that remains are the charred remains of what once was the premier apartment complex in Amity Park. Now, looking at earlier footage when this fire was taking place, we can clearly see what makes this story so saddening. Rick, why don't you tell us and our viewers what they are seeing here?"_

""_Well Sharon, it looks like Amity's own Phantom came flying to try and help some of the people escaping from the building, going intangible so the fire would not scorch him. As you can see, the fire was now starting to spread onto the neighboring buildings, and was steadily growing higher, nothing the firefighters or Phantom seemed to be working. So you see that mini tornado now forming around the building?"_

"_Yes Rick. Was that Phantom creating the cyclone?"_

"_Why yes Sharon it was, and it worked too. He quickly had the fire put out, and even stopped it from spreading…but then something went terribly wrong…see how--"_

Sam didn't need to listen to the anchorman anymore to watch the building start to sway on its weakened supporting beams, knowing what was going to happen. It was only when she saw the small family of four still not completely cleared of the building did she understand what had happened. She saw the cameraman pan up onto Danny's face as well as he could, and the horrified look that passed over his features as part of the building fell on top of the family, snuffing out their lives forever. Danny sped down like a bullet towards the wreckage, phasing through it in an effort to try and reverse what had happened…but it couldn't be reversed, Sam knew that. Danny phased back out of the rubble, slightly covered in dust and debris, with a look that broke her heart. The cameraman caught Danny zooming away before the clip ended and only the two anchors were left to discuss the incident, for what Sam suspected to by the tenth time.

"When did this happen?" Sam asked her other best friend in a no nonsense tone, not taking her eyes off the television.

"About four hours ago," he answered in a dull voice that spoke volumes to Sam about how worried he was about his best friend. "We've been looking all over ever since, but we can't find him anywhere…and then it started to rain and Danny's parents got concerned on where he was. Jazz told them he went out earlier, but they're afraid he got in an accident or something…if they find him before we do Sam…his secret isn't going to be secret anymore."

"Where were these apartments?" she asked as she grabbed her dark purple trench coat and threw it over her purple corset top and black skirt.

"On Fifth and Corral," Tucker said in a confused voice as he watched Sam pull on some of her warmer socks and hunted down her boots. "What are you doing Sam?"

"I'm going to go and find him," Sam said as she laced up her black combat boots and stood back up. "He's obviously blaming himself about that family's death, and someone needs to talk some sense into him before he does something stupid. You should probably stay here in case, for some strange reason, he decides to come here…I don't want him to be met with an empty house if he's been gone this long."

"Uh Sam," Tucker said in a flabbergasted tone as he waved to the weather outside. "Have you not noticed how bad the storm is out there? You'll catch pneumonia or hypothermia! How do you even know where he is?"

"A little rain won't hurt me," Sam said in a quiet voice as she looked at Tucker with lilac eyes full of emotion. "And I know where he is because I know him better than even himself."

The techno-geek stared at the gothic beauty for what seemed an eternity, his eyes calculating everything about her demeanor, before he said in a half amused and half annoyed voice, "Finally figured it out did you? Took you long enough…well, you may be the only one he'll listen to right now, you were before anyhow, so you better get going. But if you run into anything, just call me and I'll hurry over and help."

"Okay," Sam said as she hugged Tucker like she used to when she was little. "I'll find him and bring him back…I promise."

Tucker nodded and let her go, giving her an encouraging smile as he pulled out his phone to call someone, Jazz probably, and let her know what was going on. Right before Sam exited the safe confines of her home for the wild and angry storm outside, Tucker called out to her and said softly with that infuriating grin of his, "Just trust in what you feel Sam. You may be surprised in how small your fear is when compared to…well, something else."

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Sam walked around slowly in the whipping wind and rain for nearly an hour before she even got close to Fifth Street, the storm causing visibility to be horrible on top of the fact that it was now after eight at night. She had paused at various areas to briefly look and see if the snowy-haired halfa was hiding out there, but her instincts told her that he was most likely in one spot. After fighting ghosts and evil billionaires for four years, she had come to learn that he tended to linger at the sights of fights or disasters if he felt guilty or just depressed after Phantom's work was done.

She pushed some of her wet, jet-black hair out of her face to look at the street sign as she passed another intersection, and trudged on determinedly, only four blocks away from the fire sight. Cars were whizzing past her on the almost empty streets, occasionally spraying her legs with even more water, but she couldn't care less about that; all of her thoughts were focused on Danny. Her eyes were alight in a fervor that had been absent for nearly a year, only a burning desire to find and help her best friend occupying her thoughts and energies. She blinked a few times and strained her eyes to focus on what she knew to be the remains of the apartment complex, only a hundred or so yards in front of her, when her cell phone started to give a familiar jingle in the front pocket of her coat. She cursed quietly to herself as she fished it out and dove under a store's front canopy to escape the rain for a moment.

"Hello?" Sam half shouted as she answered her phone.

"Sam?" a confused voice that the lilac eyed girl recognized as Valerie Grey asked back in return. "Where are you? Are you outside! Are you insane girl?"

Sam had to bite back a laugh at her friend's incredulous tone, knowing that Valerie had a habit of being a little over-protective from time to time. She had really been who Sam spent to majority of her time after her 'fall-out' with Danny and Tucker, a stable rock who supported Sam's decision even if she also thought the gothic girl was lying to herself. When Valerie had discovered who the mysterious 'Ghost Boy' was in the middle of the trio's sophomore year, all three of them had really been concerned about the situation and tried to convince her she was delusional. It didn't work, but surprisingly enough, Val didn't oust Danny, or even attack him openly at school; all she did was avoid him and occasionally help him fight a nasty ghost here and then.

It had taken the poor girl the better part of a month to wrestle with her own feelings and finally confront Danny about everything, with Sam and Tucker nearby of course. After a fair share of yelling, whispering, crying, and cursing Valerie had become the fourth member of their little ghost-hunting squad and had even dated Danny for a month or two. Afterwards, she and Sam had discovered that they actually had quite a lot in common and had become good friends, which was refreshing for Sam to have a good girlfriend after hanging around only boys for so long. It was to Valerie that Sam had first divulged earlier that year that she really did have feelings for her best friend, a revelation that the wise-cracking ghost hunter didn't find the least bit surprising. After all, it had been during her own short relationship with the halfa that Valerie had noticed her new friend suppress her feelings over her best friend…something that would plague her for an additional two years.

"Yes I'm outside Val," Sam answered back in a tired voice, interrupting her friend's tirade about how stupid and crazy she was for being out in that kind of weather. "I probably am crazy, but I have to do this…he almost never listens to anyone when he gets like this, but maybe…maybe he'll remember that he used to listen to me."

Sam was met with shocked silence for a moment or two before the surprised girl on the other end responded with, "Finally admitted uh? You were almost too late ya know."

"Already got this from Tuck," Sam said in an exasperated tone, even though a bitter smile had covered her face for a moment. "You two are practically the same person when it comes to reprimands. I still may be too late, but I can't let him beat himself up over something he had no control over…you know how bad he gets about these things. I will not allow him to put himself through that pain if I can help it…he used to listen to me, so maybe he still will."

"You must be cold," Valerie said in an amused voice. "You're starting to repeat yourself. Well, even though I don't feel right about you out there when it's this bad outside, you do have a point about his depressing state of mind…you're probably the only one he'll listen to anyway."

"Or so I hope," Sam answered in a self-pitying tone, her eyes losing some of their fire.

"Shut up right now Manson," Valerie snapped back, slightly surprising the gothic girl. "That kind of attitude won't help him anymore than help you so just stop now. You have to be strong if you're so determined on helping him, because he sure as hell isn't going to want to accept it at first…I do know how he gets. Do you know why we broke up Manson?"

"Uh, no," Sam replied startled, not knowing why Valerie asked that question completely out of left field. "Maybe because you realized that you were better off as friends?"

"No Sam," Valerie answered with a slight laugh. "We were never friends like you were with him in the first place. No, we broke up because he had a major revelation during one of our, well I'm sure you can imagine what we were doing, and I discovered that no matter how much I may feel for him, it paled in comparison to what he feels for you. Maybe you did make a mistake, hell you made a big one, but that doesn't mean he stopped caring…why do you think he avoids you as much as possible Sam? I swear, sometimes you're as dense as he is! So go and help him Manson…you were the only one who ever could."

Without letting Sam protest or affirm, for both were floating on the tip of her tongue, Valerie hung up the phone with a soft click, only the dial tone now comforting the dark haired girl. Sam slowly hung up her end of the line and looked back out at the now calm downpour, the moonlight shining despite the shadowy clouds hanging heavy in the night sky. Pulling the trench coat tightly around her, she walked back out into the rain and made her way towards the now visible charred remains of the luxury apartments, her boots splashing in the puddles.

It didn't take her long to finish the rest of the distance to the remains, the now mist-like rain not hindering her any longer, and she let the coat fall loosely around her as she walked through the doorway, eyes looking back and forth for a familiar green glow or crop of white hair. She shook her hair out lightly with her hand, hoping the partially covered lobby area and lower level apartments would allow her to dry out enough, and then cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted as loud as her cold frame would allow, "DANNY! WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE COME OUT! IT'S SAM DANNY!"

She received no answer save the hiss of the wind echoing through the broken building for her cry, causing her to probe deeper into the building for a sign of her friend. She walked for a few minutes down one hallway, pausing to look at the burnt doorways and broken frames before moving on, but quickly deduced he wasn't down this way. She turned around and searched all around the lower level, but her search was fruitless every which way. Sam was just about to rethink how well she thought she knew the halfa, when she suddenly noticed a lone staircase that was still intact, leading up to whatever dark recesses may exist in the destroyed apartments.

"Leave it to Danny to be melodramatic and climb up the stairs to overlook the city when he's depressed," Sam said to herself sardonically. "And it'll probably be raining up there too…" She didn't allow herself to waste anymore time and started to climb up the questionable stairs, albeit she was very cautious whenever she stepped on a new step. Due to the careful way she was climbing, it took Sam much longer than she may have wanted to walk the entire expanse of the stairs that looked together, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she finally noticed a small opening that led to an open area that overlooked the city. She took a wary step on the burnt roof of an old home for someone, and felt a jolt of emotion shoot through her body at the figure perched on the ledge, snowy hair wet and clinging to his face.

Sam's breath caught in her throat when she saw the look of absolute fear and resignation on the young man's face; it was a look that she hadn't seen for over ten years…

_A five year old Samantha Manson was swinging on the swings in the middle of a park that was in the middle of her new home, Amity Park. She was so upset with her parents for moving her here, she liked it in New York at the preschool with her friends, but everyone here avoided her like the plague. In her black shirt and spandex shorts with big boots for a five year old, all the pretty little girls in their swirling pink skirts and dresses called her 'weird' and 'scary'. Not that she minded; she didn't want to be friends with those girls anyway!_

_A high pitched laugh caught her attention, and she turned her dark haired head over to look at two young boys playing on the monkey bars, squealing when one fell to the ground, which always caused the other one to fall. Their carefree play with another boy with sandy blond hair, who was a little bigger than they were for a five year old, and Sam wished she had the courage to go over an introduce herself to them so she could play too. One had glasses and curly black hair that was a shade darker than his skin, wearing a green baseball shirt with blue shorts, and the other was wearing a pair of black shorts, a dark blue shirt adorning his torso. He turned around and Sam saw that he had dark black hair all over his head, messy due to the playing on the monkey bars, and impossibly blue eyes that seemed so warm and trusting. He looked over at her and smiled, something that was such a simple action that caused her to giggle and wave back, happy to finally make a friend. He looked like he was heading over to where she was sitting, but then the sandy-haired boy called for him to go and get a ball that had rolled into the bushes so they could play catch. _

_He disappeared into the bushes after the missing sphere and Sam waited patiently, hoping he would ask her to play too! A second became a minute, and then a minute became five, and then five became fifteen and Sam hopped off her swing, worried for the unknown friend who had vanished. She saw that the sandy-haired boy was being taken home, trying to explain in his child-like way that he was waiting for his ball to his mother, and then the dark-skinned boy was also taken home by his mom, whining something about 'catch' and 'Danny' as he looked over towards the bushes. Sam became worried and started over towards the bushes, only to collide head first into the black haired boy as he went bolting out from the bushes, no ball in hand. _

_Sam got up and looked over to where was on the ground beside her, looking at her with a frown in case he hurt her. He then looked at her with eyes that were so full of fear; she almost gasped and looked around herself. He then started to edge away from the bushes, as if he had just remembered that was where the monsters lurked, and asked in a terrified whisper that was so full of panic it made Sam nervous, "Are the bad men still there?"_

_Sam gave him a quizzical look and peered through the bushes herself, finding no such evidence of anyone, much less men, hiding behind the shrubbery. She turned back around and gave the boy a smile and shook her head, "No…no one there! Where's your Mommy and Daddy? They'll make your bobo better!"_

_The boy looked down to where she was pointing at the neat cut on his forearm, blood slowly leaking out of it, and looked back up in alarm. He gave a little whimper as he clapped a hand over the cut and cast another frightful glance at the bushes, as if he knew any second a big, slimy monster was going to jump out and attack him._

"_You're safe now," Sam told him in high voice, looking deeply into his eyes for the first time. "No one's over there, don't worry."_

"_He said he'd see me soon," the boy said in a resigned tone, blue eyes sending her lavender ones a terrified glance. "He promised he would…he said my Mommy and Daddy were bad peoples! What if he keeps his promise?"_

"_Well, I won't let him then," Sam said in a brave voice as she pulled him up, her hand wrapped around his free one in a caring way. "I'll beat him up!"_

_Both children gave a little giggle as they made their way back over towards a pretty woman with longer red hair who looked worried, holding hands all the way. _

"_I'm Danny," the little boy said as he saw his mother catch sight of him and hurry over._

"_Samantha," Sam answered with a smile. "But I hate that one…I like Sam!"_

"_Okay Sammy," Danny said back happily as his mother hurried them over to where her first aid kit was when she saw Danny's arm. A tall man that Sam said was her Daddy walked over and after a brief exchange of words with Danny's mother, started to lead Sam away, saying they needed to get home for dinner, but that she'd see her little friend again the next day. She waved goodbye as she was pulled away by her father, and smiled happily as they headed back towards the limo her father owned._

_She felt a tug at her sleeve and turned around to find a smiling Danny holding a white lily he had picked from one of the pond's lily pads in his hand. He gave it to her and said quietly before he bounded back towards his mother, "Thanks Sammy." Sam clutched the flower in her hand and mouthed 'you're welcome' to his retreating form, a wall around her heart breaking down as she looked at the flower._

_That was the day that Sam Manson changed her favorite flower from an iris to a lily…_

The past blended back into the present as the scared little boy turned into the depressed looking young man before her, looking forlornly out on a city with dead eyes. Sam took another cautious step towards him, careful to not make too much noise and send him flying away. Then, she whispered in a breath so faint that it was almost the sound of the wind, "Danny…I…my favorite flower is still the lily."

He looked over at her in a mixture of alarm and confusion, his eyebrows drawn together in a way that gave him an adorable bemused expression. "What are you talking about Sam?"

"Remember the first day we met?" she asked as she took another few tentative steps towards him, already wet again from the drizzle. "You gave me a white lily for taking you over to your mom after you hurt yourself in the bushes…as a thank you. I kept it until that thing was dust…"

She looked back up into his intense green eyes his Phantom form took on, thinking to herself that she much preferred the blue ones, and let the small smile fall when she saw the way he looked at her.

"What do you want Sam?" he asked her in a heavy voice as her turned back around to stare at the city, searching for something Sam didn't know.

"Well," Sam answered back in her usual sarcastic tone. "I wouldn't mind if you got out of the rain for one, and quit beating yourself up for things you had no control over for another. Everyone's really worried about you, and I don't think that standing out here in the rain, trying to catch pneumonia, is a great way to ease their anxiety."

"I don't feel the cold," Danny said in a hollow voice that made Sam's heart want to cry. Her hero, Danny Phantom and Fenton, didn't use that tone of voice, he stopped her from using it. She walked over to the edge to try and get him to look at her again, determined to make him listen.

"Danny please," she said in tone that begged him to look at her. "Stop thinking that way! You couldn't help what happened to that family earlier today; you saved countless others by putting out that fire and what happened to them was just a freak accident! Stop blaming yourself for every little thing that goes wrong in this town, you're not God!"

He turned to look at her then, his green eyes glowing in anger and pain. "So, those four people were expendable? It doesn't matter that I saved those other homes from being burned down, I didn't save four lives! And what's worse, it was my stupid wind storm that brought the crumbling roof on top of them in the first place! Don't you get Sam? I screwed up, and when I screw up, people die…it's my fault what happened today, nothing you say is going to change that!"

Sam's eyes narrowed as she fixed the ghost hybrid in front of her with a glare. "You can't really expect that little tirade to scare me off do you Danny? Yes, that family did die, and nothing you do is going to change that, but that doesn't mean you have to dwell on it for eternity! Don't you see how much you've done for this town, how many lives you've saved? Who cares if strangers talk about how you can't do everything? You have so many people who care about you, so many who want to help you that it seems a poor waste of their affection to just throw in the towel now."

Danny turned away from her and floated off of the ledge, saying harshly to both himself and to her, "Just because I've saved others, doesn't mean I can just shrug off the ones I can't. All my life, I've wanted to help people, and when I got these ghost powers, I thought I finally had a way to do that…but I'm more of a menace than a savior to these people. I'm just some freaky little kid who's not human, and not a ghost…who was I kidding when I thought I could actually do this!"

"What the hell is your problem!" Sam yelled at Danny, with such vehemence it caused him to look back at her in wonder. "Why is it that you can only focus on what you can't do and what you aren't? If you stopped for just one second, maybe you could finally see what it is you are Danny…one of the most amazing people on the planet. You've been sacrificing so much over the past four years to help people, and you've saved humanity a couple of times to boot. And now, you're about to give up your dreams to keep on helping these people…why can't you see how much good you've done for everyone here? How much you mean to everyone here…"

Neither moved for what seemed to be an eternity, the only sound passing between them was the wind and soft pit-pat of the rain still hitting the roof of the ruined apartment complex. The moonlight was shining down on them through the clouds, illuminating each of their features for the other to see, their tense expressions also apparent in their stances. Sam slowly looked back up at him and softly closed almost all the distance between them in a second, her hand taking Danny's cold one, eyes glittering with something that he couldn't quite place.

"Sam," Danny started in a shaky voice, a familiar feeling started to flood his hand and spread through out his body at an alarming speed. He had spent a good part of his senior year suppressing these feelings for his best friend, and now with one touch she was making all that hard work fly out the metaphoric window. It scared the living, well kind of, shit out of him, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his hand away…this risk seemed worth it to him.

"I realized something this year," Sam said in a whisper, that even in his close proximity, Danny had to strain to hear. "Something that desperately made me want to go back in time and change it…but you can't do that Danny. Nothing will change the past if it wasn't meant to change in the first place, and you can't dwell on it or it'll eat you up inside. All you can do is learn from your mistakes and failures…and keep moving forward. It took me a slow, angry year to realize just how bad I had messed up between us…but I'll be damned if I let you make a similar mistake as me and let yourself fall. So here I am, letting you know that I was wrong…wrong about everything that ever mattered between us, hoping you'll find it somewhere in your heart to forgive me and to forgive yourself."

"Sam…" Danny started to say before he was soundly interrupted by the very real feeling of Sam Manson's lips on his own, softly brushing his own as if asking for permission. It felt like someone had brushed silk across his lips for a fraction of a second; it intoxicated him. She pulled away, lilac eyes gazing deeply into his azure ones in a vulnerable way that he had never seen on the strong, independent gothic girl. It took him a moment to find his voice before he asked her, "Did you do that to just try to get me to go back down and home?"

"No," she whispered back, shaking her head and causing rain droplets to spray the ground. "I did it because I…I think that…I think I fell in love with you Danny Fenton, despite my own fears and warnings. But, maybe I won't be so afraid anymore if…"

"Good," Danny interrupted her as he reached a hand around her waist and pulled her back towards him, locking his lips with hers for another time hungrily. His other hand snaked behind her neck as her own arms flung themselves around his neck, one roaming into his wet, now black hair. It only took a moment before she was kissing him back with the same intensity as he was, letting out a soft moan as he darted his tongue into her mouth. This time, both were acutely aware that this was not another one of their 'fake-out make-outs,' but full blown kiss between two people who had been in love all along, just to afraid to see it. They both knew in the back of their minds' that they would need to discuss quite a number of things eventually, but all that matter at the moment was just that, the moment.

As his hand pressed against the small of her back, Sam was amazed by the jolts he could send through her body, making her feel as if her entire body was tingling and warm, despite the cold wind around them. He tasted like the rain and peppermint all mixed into one, something she wanted to commit to memory for as long as she lived. Even the feel of his tongue in her mouth felt like it belonged there, like she had been supposed to be in his embrace from the first time he had smiled at her on the swings from the monkey bars.

His hand pressed her into his body, as if he was afraid that she would disappear if he didn't maintain a hold on her. Her frame melded into his lithe body so perfectly it didn't seem possible, as if she had belonged there all along. He shivered, from something else other than cold, as her hand dug deeper into his messy dark locks, and he could taste the mint from her lip-gloss. Despite his colder body temperature, he felt as if every nerve was on fire…it both thrilled and frightened him but he figured that was what falling back in love felt like.

They finally broke apart for air, lips still so close to each other that they were almost touching, and breathed in heavily the oxygen they had deprived themselves of caught up in their moment. Sam rested her forehead on his chin and clung to him as if her very life depended on it, which it might have at that very moment. She felt him bury his head in her wet hair as he tightened his embrace, bringing her slim even closer than before. After a moment, he whispered into her ear, "Thanks again Sammy…for saving me again."

"I promise to not ever let you fall again Danny," Sam answered back in a quiet, but unwavering tone that made his heart swell. "You will never have to go through this again alone…I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens after tonight." He lifted her chin to capture her lips again in a gentle kiss that, while lacking its predecessor's passion, carried along something else that made Sam weak in the knees.

When they broke apart for the third time that night, Sam smiled at the bright light that had seemed to return to his impossibly blue eyes and she said in an uncharacteristic shy voice, "I think we need to get you back home…we're both soaking wet! Plus, you're parents are probably worried sick and if I don't keep my promise to your sister, she'll probably come hunting me down too."

He nodded and changed back to his Phantom form, offering his hand out to her, which she took without a moment's hesitation, neither really surprised anymore how perfectly her small hand fit into his strong one. He turned himself and Sam intangible and floated into the air, his other hand wrapped around her waist in a protective manner that made her feel completely safe. The flight was short, and by the time they arrived back at Danny's house, the rain had finally stopped for the night, but the gray clouds still hung in the sky, ominous and foreboding. Sam watched Danny change back into his human form, a smile playing on her lips the entire time, and still staying when she noticed a small, black piece of paper poking out of his jean pocket that she had not noticed earlier. She didn't know what compelled her to ask what it was, but a feeling flooded through her, the same kind of feeling that those clouds gave her.

"What's that Danny?" she asked in a sarcastic tone as she poked at the note in his pocket. She didn't want her voice to betray the feeling I her heart, in case it was nothing and she was just over-reacting. "Another girl's number or something?"

Danny's expression turned from completely content to tense as he turned his eyes to the black piece of paper in his pants. He pulled it out, unfolded it, and read it quickly before looking back up into Sam's now concerned lilac eyes. Maybe those clouds weren't so wrong after all, and Sam had a flash of a man with a tattoo of a rose on his upper forearm in her mind, leaving her wondering what was happening to her. Did kissing Danny give her something more than just tremors and blushes?

"I have to tell you something Sam," he said in a voice that made her blood run cold. A tone that told her that she was going to have to uphold her promise to Danny much sooner than she had anticipated…

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**A/N: **There it is guys! The first part of this little fic that used to be a one-shot! Let me know what you guys thought please! I love getting reviews and they honestly make me write faster! The story will actually live up to its rating as the story progresses, so be patient if you think this was weak for a 'T' rating. Again, Review Review Review!

Osco


	2. Part 2: Smoke

**A/N: **Thanx for the reviews for the last chapter! You all made me so incredibly happy I had to hurry up and update…maybe this is what Lacey was talking about! Warnings…minor swearing shall commence and probably some very mild smut! Nothing to bad in this one…at least I don't think … oh whatever. Enjoy this one!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Two: Smoke**_

"Arg," Sam growled to herself as she crumpled up yet another piece of paper with a few scribbles on it. "This should not be this hard! Hell, if that stupid ditz Miranda Jones could do it last year, I most certainly can! Now, let's just start this again Manson…. 'It's amazing how the year went by so fast…' Damn it!"

She crumpled up that paper and threw it into the trash bin with enough force to knock over a few piles of papers onto the floor beside it. She ran her left hand through her smooth, freshly washed raven hair, while stretching out her writing hand to let out the cramps that had accumulated over the past three hours. She cast her lilac gaze over to her calendar, noting in her mind that the big circled day was in fact the next day, which meant that her speech needed to be done in exactly 22 hours and forty-seven minutes. A week ago, that had not seemed to be such a daunting fact, but that was before a rainy tryst with a half ghost on top of a destroyed apartment complex.

Even though a tiny voice of reason told her she needed to write her speech, the rest of her mind and body went back to that moment as if she couldn't control her actions; plus, Danny was a much nicer topic to brood about then a farewell speech to a student body she didn't even like. It wasn't the first kiss she had with him, or with any boy for that matter, but it most certainly was the first that had her feeling things she never had before. Their last kiss, their 'fake-out make-out,' had been incredibly innocent has she looked back in hindsight, their hands hadn't even moved for goodness sakes. This one though…this one had made her feel like abandoning all her inhibitions to the wind, and had left her with thoughts that made her warm all over despite the chill that was still permeating Amity Park still. It was…

"Electrifying," Sam breathed aloud, knowing that was the only word that came close to describing what her and Danny had shared. "Or explosive," she said with a giggle as she rolled off her chair to lie down on her carpeted floor. Her parents had been inquiring her on what had brought about the cheerful disposition she had been exuding for a week, but she would always just smile and say that it was the weather. She really didn't want to tell them that she was happy because she had finally done what they had always feared she would do, get involved with that Fenton-boy! The fact that dating Danny would irk her parents to the point of insanity didn't help make their 'relationship' any less forbidding…which thrilled her.

She sat up and rested her head on her windowsill to gaze at the now full moon, this time out of happiness instead of self-pity and regret, and imagined she could see a familiar snowy-haired ghost streaking across the moon. It was mind-boggling, that one kiss could render her into a giddy-school girl, so un-Goth, but she didn't care about maintaining her image that much anymore. There were so many more important things that she could focus on, not trying to prove to people she was a unique person; she knew and that was all that mattered to her now. She laughed at the thought that, despite all her own efforts, she had grown up into a stable young woman, no longer the moody, sarcastic teenager that she had been.

Well, she was still sarcastic, but maybe not as bad.

The smile wilted into a small frown as she let her thoughts linger on that particular piece of information, her thoughts now branching off to a tangent topic that had to do with growing up. Sure, she was excited about graduating and going off to experience college, any high school senior usually is, but growing up meant she would have to leave behind her hometown. She'd have to leave her family (despite how much they annoyed her from time to time, she still loved them very much) and also everything she was used to here.

She'd have to leave Danny…

Danny, Sam, and Tucker had known after a counselor had come by to discuss there future and colleges in their junior year that Danny could never be an astronaut like he had always dreamt of being and that he could never go to a college that was far away from Amity park. He had been upset about it, but he accepted it as a necessary thing he would have to endure for choosing to be a hero; he had again been asked to give up the things he wanted and needed to protect people he didn't even know. He had put up a brave front as Tucker was accepted into a dozen technology programs at prestigious colleges, and had even helped his best friend narrow down his final choice to UCSD earlier that year.

But when Sam had been accepted into NYU, over a thousand miles away, she could visibly see his resolve start to crack. She had actually considered not going when she got her letter, not wanting to leave him here alone, but he had vehemently declared to her that she should not give up her life because of him. They got into an argument that resulted in a shaky friendship (for more than one reason she knew) that had endured until a week ago, and it was after that argument that she had realized how much she cared for him. She ended up following his wishes and would be going there in the fall, but now she doubted her decision. She had made that decision thinking it would be easier to leave this town and all the feelings she had for Danny here, but now that she had accepted those feeling, was it still the right decision?

Did she really want to leave Danny now that they discovered something so amazing between the two of them? Was she willing to actually try a long distance relationship in college, the ones that Jazz always said never worked out? Did she want to put herself through the pain of not being able to see him every day, or worse, watch their relationship fall apart as the distance ate away their passion?

"Ugh," Sam groaned as she hit her forehead on the windowsill. "Why can't I just go back to thinking about how nice he looks in that spandex suit! I don't want to have to think about these things right now!"

"Sam, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked her, causing her to whip her head up so fast she was surprised she didn't get whiplash. Her lilac eyes met two glowing green ones, which were currently looking at her in such a quizzical way, she couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked when he was confused. He smiled back at her as he turned back into his human form and sat down on her bed, crossing his legs underneath his slender form Indian-style.

"Yeah, why?" Sam asked as she forced a blush she felt on her cheeks to dissipate and got up from her crouched position on the floor and sat next to him on her bed.

"Well," he said with a grin. "Whenever you're muttering to yourself on the floor of your room and not noticing when the temperature drops ten degrees, I get a little concerned. Do we need to send you back to the mental ward Miss Manson?"

"Shut up you jerk!" Sam said as she playfully shoved his shoulder. "You and Tucker snuck me there when I was still out after my appendicitis surgery! Do you know how confused I was when I woke up and I had a nurse trying to give me a shot of God knows what? You could have been sent to jail if anyone found out what you two did!"

"You know you wouldn't send a face as pretty as mine to jail Sammy," Danny said as he gave her his patented puppy-dog eyes and pout. If anything, it had only got more irresistible as he got older. "Plus, you know Tucker couldn't take it!"

"Well that's true," Sam conceded as an image of Tucker in jail filled her mind, making her chuckle in an evil way. She looked back at him and just enjoyed the fact that they were able to talk and joke around like they used again, she had missed that so much this past year.

"Thinking about me in spandex again?" Danny asked with a mischievous glimmer in his blue eyes, his mouth quirking into a cocky grin.

"You heard that?" Sam half groaned, half laughed as she buried her red face in her hands. After she composed herself to a light pink tint, she lifted her face to look at him again and grinned in a fiendish way. "Anyway, I was talking about Phantom in spandex, not you. Sorry Danny."

Danny gave her a surprised look before he furrowed his brow at her in mock anger. "Excuse me Manson, but I believe that you yourself have said that Phantom and Fenton is the same person. Are you now calling yourself a hypocrite?"

"Of course not," Sam answered with a smirk. "I'm to smart to let myself fall into that trap. Do you wear spandex at anytime other than when you're Phantom? No? Didn't think so mister Fenton. Besides, Phantom's a lot more forward than Fenton is."

"What?" Danny asked, now a little unnerved by how far Sam was taking the joke…if it still was a joke. He had a feeling that it wasn't.

""Well," Sam drawled as she leaned forward and biting her lip in a strangely seductive way that surprised her at her daring. "I don't think that Danny Fenton would have initiated a kiss like that the other night like Phantom did. It was nice to be surprised for once…"

"I can be daring without being Phantom," Danny said as his blue eyes darkened their color with something that Sam couldn't quite place, but something that thrilled her nonetheless.

"Prove it," Sam whispered in a husky voice that sounded like she had something stuck in her throat…maybe her heart. She could never remember a time when she had been so daring and, dare she think it, sexy; it excited her to see she had such a noticeable effect on the black-haired boy sitting across from her.

Whatever hesitations Sam thought that Danny would have were obviously false as he leaned over and captured her lips, one hand bracing him on the bed and the other cupping the back of her neck. She smiled into the kiss before she also responded, happy at both the surprise and the shivers going down her spine. Sure, her door was unlocked and her parents were home for once, but that just made the whole situation that much more appealing to her. It felt dangerous, a feeling she had never felt without being in mortal danger before, it was quite a nice sensation from the opposite viewpoint.

After a minute or so, Danny closed the small distance between them, pulling Sam into his lap, and encircling her slim waist with his arms. Sam willingly submitted to his embrace, draping her legs on either side of his own, and she dug her hands deep into his hair like she did on the apartment roof. It was so soft, and it felt nice that it wasn't wet Sam thought as she trusted her fingertips to massage his scalp; she breathed a happy sigh into his mouth as she felt one of his hands touch the skin on her lower back, the other still balancing her by holding her upper back.

Neither was sure just how long they were at it, much to lose in their own world of touches and feelings to notice something as unimportant as time, but when Sam heard a creak on the stairs outside her door she snapped out of that dreamland awful quick. She ripped her head away and looked up with a startled expression at the doorway, biting her lip in dread.

"Sam," Danny started before Sam clapped her hand over his mouth quickly to stifle his voice.

"Go invisible now," Sam hissed as she saw a shadow appear underneath her door frame. "Hurry Danny, my parents are outside!"

It didn't take Danny more than a millisecond to obey her, mention of her parents outside enough to convince him that it would be in his best interest to disappear now. He did not want to lose the other half of his life because her parents, who already disliked him for one reason or another, caught him and Sam on her bed... alone…and at night.

"Sammykins!" her mother shouted as she walked into the room, her husband not far behind her. "Just coming up to see how our little salutatorian is doing on her speech! Do you need a break or…why are you sitting on your bed like that?"

Sam looked down to see she was still sitting in a position with her legs over Danny's. He was invisible, so now it looked like she was practicing childbirth on her bed, something that even Sam knew her parents would not approve of…they'd probably say it was Danny's. "Oh, well I was kind of stressed out so I took a break to do…to do some uh, some yoga! Yoga yeah, it's so relaxing!" As if to exemplify her point, Sam arched her back to look like she was stretching like a cat, a stretch that both looked like a yoga pose and also succeeded in causing an invisible Danny to blush.

"Anyway," Sam said as she reached her arms back over her head, looking at her parents with a smile. "I already took a break, so I'll be getting back to work on it soon. I'll probably be up late so I'll just see you guys tomorrow morning."

"Okay Sammykins," her mother said with a big smile on her face. "We can go and get you some really yoga clothing tomorrow before you're hair appointment! I'm so happy you finally decided on a healthy hobby for once! Kisses darling!"

She dragged her husband out as she left, even as he shouted 'Good night sweetheart,' and shut the door with a soft click. Once Sam was sure they both were far away from her door, she let out a pent-up breath of relief and allowed a now visible Danny pull her back into her original position on his lap. He was still smiling at her with a slight blush, which of course caused her to blush as well for a fraction of a second.

"Yoga, uh Sammykins?" Danny said with a laugh as he quirked an eyebrow at her now embarrassed face. "Never knew you were into that…are you really that flexible?"

"Shut up you moron," she exclaimed with a playful punch as she allowed his arms to tighten around her waist again. "Ugh…now I'm going to have to do yoga with her in the morning…I hope you know how much that cost me to hide you. I hope you're at least thankful."

"Tons," Danny whispered as he kissed her neck with light kisses that felt like butterflies tickling her to Sam. She arched her neck to allow him greater access, knowing that he wouldn't leave her with a mark on her neck the night before graduation. Oh no there was that word again…

Her continued with his ministrations for a minute or two and then captured her lips in a brief, but sweet, kiss before he just held her in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and he buried his face in her hair for a moment and whispered in her ear, "You're hair smells nice Sam."

"Thanks," she said with gentle giggle, pulling away and then resting her forehead against his. "I washed it believe it or not."

"You shower?" Danny asked with a mock confused look which caused Sam to arch her eyebrow at him. "Kidding Sammy, I'm just kidding."

They sat there, foreheads touching and hands entwined, for a while, enjoying each other's company and warmth. It seemed impossible to both that they were able to spend a whole year apart and still stay sane when sitting together like this made them feel at ease. Nothing seemed like it could bother them, but they both knew in their heads and hearts that the peace they were feeling couldn't last.

'_Graduation…going away…'_

'_The note...that family…me staying here…'_

"So," Danny said in an awkward voice, but still holding Sam in his lap. "How's the um, the speech coming along?"

"Don't even ask," Sam groaned, her closed eyes scrunching even more before she opened her lilac eyes to gaze at his blue ones. "Because it royally blows! I can't seem to put a single intelligent thought on paper that doesn't sound generic or like complete bull-shit. I'm beginning to think I'm just going to download something from the internet and read that, I'm sure there's a site for that; no one's going to listen to me anyway."

"Yes they will Sam," Danny said as he smiled at the cute, frustrated expression she had on her face. "And as for the words, just be generic if you want…everyone else is anyway. Don't worry about that right now."

"Kind of hard not to Danny," Sam said as she rolled out of his grip, got off her bed, and walked back over towards her desk. "It is tomorrow when I have to give this "speech" in front of our entire class and their parents. I need to have at least something to say…you don't want to see me booed off the podium do you?"

"Of course not," Danny said with a laugh as he rolled off the bed as well and stood next to her by the desk. "I especially don't want to see what your temper will be like afterwards!"

She smiled at him sadistically and sat back down, laughing as she grabbed her pencil and a fresh piece of paper, "I wouldn't want to either!" She sat in contemplative silence for a minute or two afterwards as she tried to figure out how she wanted to start her speech.

"Do you want me to leave?" Danny asked in her ear, recognizing she had to focus and he was a bit of a distraction.

"No!" Sam said quickly and whirling around so fast she nearly sent herself flying from her swivel chair. "I mean, it won't take long you know! I wouldn't mind if you…you know…if you just stayed here for a while longer…with me that is."

"You sure?" Danny asked, even though she could see a blush paint his cheeks, as was happening to her as well.

"Uh, yeah," Sam said with a shy smile, feeling absolutely ridiculous at her girlish behavior. "Besides, you still need to tell me about what that note was. I mean, your sister and parents kind of interrupted you before you could tell me. You seemed kind of worried about it and I…I don't know, I just want make sure you're all right."

"It's nothing Sam," Danny lied, not a bit convincingly either. "Don't worry about that either. Just a prank Tucker pulled on me to freak me out a bit."

"Why would it freak you out?" Sam persisted, getting up and sitting back beside him on her bed. "Come on Danny, don't play the hero game. I…I _felt _something wrong with that note…maybe our kiss gave me some kind of connection with you or whatever, but I definitely felt something bad with that note."

"It's not anything I can't handle," he replied in a soft voice as she curled her small hand around his. "Please Sam; don't worry yourself over my problems."

"Kind of have to Danny," she said with a sarcastic smile. "You certainly don't. Oh come on Danny, I can help…is it a ghost or something?"

"In a way," he replied, looking at her with distance eyes, as if he was remembering something he had made himself forget. "Funny isn't it…I face monsters and undead creatures every day but when something alive confronts me… I can't stop from shaking."

"What are you talking about Danny?" Sam asked in a confused voice, turning to face him entirely. "Yes you can, and you're not shaking…whatever it is, you can beat it, I know it! Why are you so afraid to let me know what's bothering you?"

"Because," he said in a broken tone of voice. "I don't think I can protect you from _him_. I couldn't save…I can't beat this one Sam."

"Who, Vlad?" Sam asked with an almost amused smirk on her face. "You know he just as years on you, nothing else. And that evil version of yourself you say you saw when we were fourteen, that can't happen anymore…you prevented that by saving all of our lives that day in the Nasty Burger."

"He's not a ghost Sam," Danny said in a neutral voice that seemed to clash with the troubled look in his eyes. "Someone…someone that I hoped to never see again. I even convinced myself that I had imagined the whole thing was just a figment of my over-active imagination."

"Danny what are you--" Sam started to retort when he pressed a small piece of paper into the hand she had curled around his. He didn't look at her as she looked down at the crumpled, black scrap of paper and unfolded it. She lifted it up to her eyes to read the barely legible white ink and felt something tighten in her chest as she looked it over.

**See You Soon…**

**M.R.**

"Danny where did you find this?" Sam asked in a controlled voice. She met his eyes and she thought she saw a flash of silver and a black tattoo. "Have you told anyone about this? Who's M.R. and why would someone who's not a ghost send you this?"

"It was in an envelope to me from Amity Park University," Danny answered with a mirthless chuckle. "No one thought anything of it, that's where I'm going in the fall by the way, so I took it upstairs and opened it. There was no letter from the university in there, just this piece of black paper with three words written on it from a nightmare. I remember sitting down and thinking I saw someone outside the window…just nerves I guess."

"Danny," Sam persisted patiently, still receiving bizarre images that she assumed were from Danny. Now she saw a glimpse of a van and of a hulking man with dark hair, a man that stood next to another with a snake tattoo on his arm. "Who sent you this? If this is some sort of threat, ghost related or not, you have to go to the police."

"You remember when we first met Sammy?" Danny asked, looking back up at her, not really terrified but unnerved nonetheless. "I chased after Dash's ball into those bushes and ended up running into you after more time than it takes to get a ball?"

"Yes," Sam said as she continued to get blurry pictures in her head, now causing a slight buzzing sensation in her skull. "It took you forever and…and you didn't come back with a ball. You came back with a slash on your arm…Danny, you didn't hurt yourself did you?"

"No, I didn't," the blue-eyed halfa answered with a slight smile. "My mom knew I didn't either…that's why I wasn't allowed back in that park for a month. Remember how you had to come to my house to play? Didn't you wonder why Jazz and I weren't allowed out of the house alone for half a year?"

"Well," Sam answered back with a bit of a smirk despite the seriousness of the talk they were having. "I was only five years old Fenton. But, Tucker and I did think it was weird that we always had to go your house…who's the man with tattoo on his left forearm?" Danny gave her a sharp look, asking without words how she knew that. "I think that us…well, kissing I suppose…is letting me into your head a little bit if it's something that's bothering you. I keep seeing this tattoo and a flash of silver… was that a knife Danny?"

"You ask way too many questions," Danny exclaimed with a laugh as he fell backwards to lie on her bed, legs dangling off the edge and hands resting on his stomach. "Nothing's normal with me is it? Now you're seeing things out of my head…new powers everyday I guess uh?"

"Danny, you're not going to throw me off that easily," Sam replied with a smirk as she rolled over to lie next to him on her stomach. She rested her head on her arm and asked him gently, "Who is he Danny and why did he give this to you?"

"Mance Riley," Danny hissed out as if it burned his tongue to even say the man's name. "He used to be a scientist at the same college as my parents…studying something in genetics and how he could isolate certain genes to enhance certain human traits, I think. He was competing with my parents for a research grant and I think he tried to prove how he should be the one to get it be testing some of whatever it was on himself. It messed him up physically and I guess a bit mentally…he blamed my parents for the situation. Said they stole his money and that they were the main factor for his condition, I think he was arrested for plotting murder or something."

"Danny…" Sam whispered, running her fingers through his jet-black hair.

"Just let me finish Sam," he interrupted, stopping her words so he could tell her everything before he lost his courage and kept it pent up inside again. "When I went into the bushes to get the ball, I saw a van on the curb next to the park. Before I could even tell myself to run, one of his friends grabbed my hair and kept me from running. I…I don't remember everything that he said, mainly because I was terrified, but he said something about how my parents deserved to be punished for the bad things they did to him. He pulled out a pocket-knife and trailed it down my face and asked if I loved my parents…I honestly thought he was going to kill my Sam…but then a cop car zoomed up and I, well I bit the big one's who was holding me hand and he dropped me. Riley slashed at me as I ran, that's where the cut came from, but he didn't try to follow me when I got away. He just called out that he'd see me soon. Then I ran into you and…well, you know the rest."

"Did your mom tell you all this about him afterwards?" she asked, scared for the boy staring back at her; a boy who was surprisingly calm for what he was telling her.

"She and dad told me and Jazz right after they called the police," he replied in a normal voice. "It's funny, I was so much more worried before, but I guess talking actually did help. Not that I'd ever tell Jazz that, she'd never shut up on how she was always right about expressing yourself! I guess I should tell mom and dad about it…especially if he knows what college I'm going to."

"What's wrong with you Danny?" Sam asked in a tired tone, burying her face in the covers of her bed in exasperation and muffling her voice slight. "You should be terrified about this! You're talking about this like your trying to decide what kind of cereal to eat in the morning!"

"I am worried Sammy," Danny said as he turned his head to look at her buried one. "But, I can't let it dictate my life right now…too much is going on. We're graduating tomorrow night, and I have someissues goingon in the Ghost Zone right now, and now there's well...there's you. Besides, I'm not exactly the same little kid I was twelve years ago…I got a bit of an upgrade."

"Oh," she said as she turned her face up to look into his depthless blue eyes. "Are you admitting that you're gifts aren't a curse anymore Danny Fenton?"

"No," he answered with a laugh. "They still suck when it comes to living my own life, but if I have a psychopathic kidnapper after me I think I'll be able to hold my own this time around! If I'm going to worry about anything, I'm going to worry about the fact he could use you to try and get to me…I'm sure he can learn that we're together if he could learn what college I'm attending."

"You are not breaking up with me Danny Fenton," Sam said with a stern expression on her face that made him think about how adorable she looked. Not that he'd tell her that, Samantha Manson wasn't the type to want to be called 'adorable' and such. "I can take care of myself thank you very much, and I like the perks of this too much to give it up just yet."

"Perks?" Danny asked coyly, quirking his eyebrow at the dark-haired beauty. "Just what sort of 'perks' are you talking about Manson?"

"These kind you dumb-ass," Sam said with a growl as she rolled over and straddled him quick as a cat. She lowered her lips to his; smiling inside at the completely off-guard expression he had on his face. Perhaps it wasn't as fiery as their previous encounters, but this one was thrilling in its own way because it was Sam who drove the kiss this time. When she broke the kiss, she didn't move off of him, but instead opted to lie down, her upper body draped over his so her face rested underneath his chin.

"Please tell me you'll tell your parents about this Riley character after graduation Danny," Sam whispered quietly after they had simply lay in each other's arms in comfortable silence for a moment. "I don't want you to get hurt because you're playing the hero…I care about you too much."

"I will, don't worry," he answered, fingers absently tickling her bare upper arm. "It's an issue for Jazz too. She probably just didn't get anything because she hasn't been at school for a week or two. I promise I will Sammy."

She kissed him softly to say thank you and got off him to try and attempt writing her speech again. He got up and said something how he needed to head home before Jazz sent out search parties for him, pausing to kiss her lightly on her temple as Phantom. He bent down and whispered in her ear something that she knew would give her insomnia for the rest of the night.

"I love you Sammy."

She turned around to reply but he had already phased through her outside wall, leaving her to touch her temple lightly and smile, despite her grim task before her. She turned back to the blank and picked up her pencil and began to write, even if it wasn't what she may have wanted. She would deal with the finer points later if she had too.

"I love you too Danny Fenton…my Phantom," she whispered as she scribbled furiously.

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"Mother, would you just calm down! I have everything here with me, and I'm going to change into my robes when I meet Danny, Tuck, and Valerie at the auditorium! Just make sure that you, Dad, and Grandma get there at five thirty or else you won't be able to take the million pictures I know you want to take. Mom, are listening to me?" Sam asked tiredly after she finished giving her mom instructions. She was trying to cram everything she needed into the small lavender clutch she had and finally looked up to see her mother looking at her with nothing but glowing admiration. Sam was unnerved because her mother usually looked at her with sadness that she wasn't wearing pastels, this was a look she wasn't used to. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Oh I'm fine Sammykins," her mother said as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek in only the way a mother can. "You just look so grown-up and pretty! I'm just…I'm really very proud of you honey."

"Really?" Sam asked with a funny smile on her face as she looked at herself in one of the mirrors in the entry room. She was wearing a crisp black skirt that clung to her small form in a flattering way that was just above the knee and a white camisole that brought out the color of her eyes. She had a pair of modest, black heels on as well and a single amethyst necklace Danny had gotten for her 18th birthday. Her hair was pulled back in an elegant bun that had a few wisps of hair frame her face in a way that she thought was very Audrey Hepburn…someone she never thought she could emulate.

"Yes, really Sammy," her father said as he entered the room and stood by her mother. "You'll wow all the boys tonight sweetie!"

"I only want to wow one boy," Sam said to herself before she could catch herself. Realizing what she said, she turned a brilliant shade of pink and turned back to face her parents, who were both smiling and frowning at the same time. "What I meant was that I don't really want to wow all those boys tonight you know? I mean it's so overrated having a boyfriend and I just don't think that I sho--"

"Oh Sammykins, you can stop being silly," her mother said with a wave of her dainty hand. She fixed her daughter with a gaze that both was happy and resigned and took a deep breath. "I know how you feel about that, that Fenton-boy…and I'm sure he feels the same. Now, I may think he's not the best boy out there for you, I trust…well I trust your judgment honey. I suppose you can say that I'm giving my approval of that little rascal."

Sam smiled and sent a questioning look to her father, hoping to nip this hurdle in the bud early and make it easy for her and Danny. He smiled back at her in a way only a father can who's accepted his daughter has grown up and has other men in her life and said, "Honestly Sammy, there was no stopping this one. It was only a matter of time."

She smiled and hugged both her parents, grateful for their understanding, and whispered "I love you both," quietly before pulling away and heading out the door, yelling that she'd see them at the school in two hours. She hurried out so fast with her gown and clutch that she didn't see them smiling at her in a different way, the way when a parent accepts a child for who they are.

It didn't take her long to get to school, and as soon as she found a parking spot, she started hurrying towards the gym, where the senior class was all lining up in their lines and chatting to their friends how happy and excited they were. She found Danny, Tucker, and Valerie waiting in the lobby waiting for her and she waved at them to get their attention.

"You look beautiful Sam," Danny said as he took her hand in a shy manner. No matter what he said about being as bold as Phantom, his ghost counter-part was a bit more confident than he was usually. She blushed and surveyed him as well as the other two. Both Danny and Tucker had black slacks on, and then they had a dark blue shirt and a dark green shirt respectively. Valerie had a simple yellow sundress on with white flip-flops, claiming that she didn't want to punish her feet by wearing heels.

"You look good too Danny," Sam whispered to him first, smirking at the blush she caused him to develop. "You all look great," she said aloud to the other two, who were both smirking at each other and then back at her and Danny. "Good thing it wasn't that cold outside today…just a little foggy."

"Yeah, looked like smoke this morning," Valerie said with a flip of her hair as the four friends walked over to the doors to be checked by the faculty on their outfits and what they were carrying. "It was weird, but whatever. As long as I don't freeze out there tonight, it's okay by me!" They all laughed and continued to chat about everything and nothing before they had to enter the gym.

"How's the speech?" Danny asked as the entered the noisy gym. "Get any farther after I left?"

He almost instantly regretted saying those words because then Tucker started to laugh and make comments that made Danny blush and Sam scowl for a minute or two. Sam sent one final glare at the techno-lover before answering, "Well, it's done if that's what you mean. It's not what I want, but it'll have to do."

"You'll do fine Sam," Tucker said, still chuckling in mirth at the couple's expense. "Don't even stress about it…come on Danny; we need to head over to our line."

"I still don't think that's fair," Valerie said to Sam as the two boys walked off, Danny shooting her one last encouraging smile before hurrying after Tucker. "The end up only two seats apart and I'll have to watch them make signals at each other the whole ceremony. Boys!"

"Just make sure you throw something at Danny if he isn't paying attention when his name is called," Sam shouted back playfully as Valerie walked over towards her line, two rows behind the boys. The girl waved a hand over her head to show Sam she would and disappeared in the mass of people.

Sam took a deep breath and slipped on the deep red gown over her head before heading over to where Lancer was waiting for her at the head of the lines. She hurried over and smiled at the valedictorian briefly, a tall young man she didn't know beyond his name, Nathan Wallace. She listened as the line leaders and supervising teachers gave the graduates instructions and put on her cap with all the rest of her class. She felt butterflies flittering around in her stomach, but they made her excited instead of anxious…well she was still nervous, but that was beside the point.

"Nervous?" Nathan asked her in a voice that was no longer nasally or obsessive over a certain ghost-hunter.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sam answered honestly as they all started to march out to the graduation march, praying to some God up there that she wouldn't trip and fall on her face in front of the whole class.

"Don't worry," Nathan answered as they turned out onto the field which erupted into cheers by respective families and friends as the two rows walked down the aisles. "I know you'll do fine…just relax and do what comes naturally."

Sam chose not to respond and simply smiled back at him, wondering what got her into a mood to smile so often nowadays. Then she remembered Danny's hand on hers, his hair between her fingers, and the taste of his lips and she knew she had her answer. She waited for everyone to get into position and then sat down with everyone else like they had practiced at rehearsal the day before. She listened to the student body president give a hip speech, followed by a couple of important school board members, and then a performance by the music students of the song they had chosen as their class song. She laughed at the choice…the "Ghostbusters" theme just seemed appropriate for their high school!

She twisted her hands nervously in her hands as Lancer walked up to the podium, knowing her was going to introduce her and that meant she had do her speech…to say she was scared would be an understatement.

"And now family, friends, and the Graduating class of 2006, I introduce to you your salutatorian, Samantha Manson!" Lancer said into the microphone, clapping his hands and smiling at her in admiration. She didn't know if people were clapping for her or not, all she was focused on was walking up to the podium in a graceful manner that wouldn't embarrass her too badly. She took the microphone from Lancer with a thank you and put her speech in front of her on the wooden podium and looked out over the crowd. She took a deep breath and started in a clear voice.

"Well, amazing how four years can go by so fast, and before you know it, you're grown up and about to start life as an adult. We shared many of the same experiences and many of the same…"

Sam stopped herself and looked back down at the speech, noting out of the corner of her eye the teachers glancing at her worriedly. She lifted up the speech to eye level and began to laugh to herself, causing several students and parents to now become concerned. She looked back up at the young adults before and gave them her trademark smirk before she tore her speech in half and tossed it to the side. She grabbed the mike off the stand and walked out from being the podium to look at her class from the front of the stage.

"Sorry about that," she said with a shrug that said she wasn't sorry at all. "But I'm doing this my way. Yes, we have all come through this school and yes we did all have experiences, but to say we shared them…well that's just a lie. There is no way that any of us could have had the same experiences as another in this school, whether we were the high school princess, or the locker-stuffed loser, we all had different experiences to put us here now.

"My name is Sam Manson, some of you know me, some don't…that's just how life goes. Some of you hate me, or at least think you do, and I can accept that as well. Because I have some of the best friends anyone on Earth can ask for. It is through them that I have become the person I am today…and it is through your friends that you have all become what you all are now. It doesn't matter if we weren't friends with everybody; all that matters is that we were friends at all."

She took a pause and walked off the stage, getting as close as she could to her audience. "I know that I should depart on everyone here some sort of great wisdom that will help us all in the days to come, but I don't have any that doesn't sound generic or pre-packaged. So, I'm going to tell you what I learned my four years of here at Casper High…the good and the bad.

"I learned how to listen here to what others had to say, and learned that ignorance is not necessarily a crime.

"I learned how to trust even when my instinct screamed at me not to, and that first impressions are not always infallible.

"I learned that futures are not ever pre-determined, and that there is no fate but what we make for ourselves with our choices here and now.

"I learned what it feels like to hurt someone you care about so deeply that you question everything you may have believed to be for the best.

"I learned that it is much easier to just act as yourself instead of trying to prove to people you're something else…or something more extreme than you are.

"I learned what it feels like to be in love…and also what it feels to be loved by someone else.

"And finally, I learned what it feels to be alienated, and how it feels to overcome that and embrace the alienation and turn it into something else.

"Those are only a few of the things I learned, and they certainlywon't bethe last things I will learn, but it shows something about myself and about all of us sitting here tonight. We have all learned these things at sometime here, and it proves something that maybe we don't notice or don't want to face. But the fact is that we came into this school with a preconceived idea of what we needed to be or how we needed to act, and we are leaving as new people. I grew up here at Casper High School, ghost attacks and all, and I'm ready for whatever life may throw at me…and I know that my class of 2006 is as well. Congratulations class of 2006, we survived growing up."

Sam took the mike away from her mouth and walked back up the stage to put it back in place, not caring anymore if she embarrassed herself in front of everyone. When she turned back around she was met with an uproar of cheers, even from those who she may not have been all that great of friends with. She felt her heart swell as she saw Danny, among the few who were standing and applauding, smile at her and mouth _I love you_ and she mouthed it back. She sat back down and Lancer, who was also clapping loudly, introduced Nathan as the valedictorian. The red-headed young man gave her a smile that said 'I told you so,' and walked up to the podium, starting his speech off about how he felt silly going up after Sam.

The rest of the ceremony sped by quickly; she cheered loudly when Danny, Tucker, and Valerie all received their diplomas and smiled when she felt a familiar cold presence with her as she accepted hers. The atmosphere was charged as Principal Yashimoto told them to move their tassels to the left, and she found herself throwing her hat into the air with her class, celebrating the completion of a step in all of their lives. She turned around from her seat in the front couple rows and hurried over to the other side of the field, pausing to say thanks to the graduates who congratulated her on the speech.

"That was so awesome Sam!" Tucker yelled as he hugged her briefly, smiling from ear to ear. "I thought for a second that you had forgotten your line or something, but when you tore the speech in half, I was all like, 'That's my Sam!'"

Sam let go of Tucker to hug Valerie, who was also gushing about how well she did her speech, and yelled over the din, "Thanks you guys! It just sounded stupid to me so I changed it. You know me, always up for a change! Where's Danny?"

"His parents hoodwinked him before he could come over," Tucker answered with a smirk as Valerie was hugging the blonde-haired Star and gushing about how pretty she looked. "They were taking pictures over there with, surprising enough, your parents. Larry!" Tucker yelled out suddenly and hurried over to one of his friends from the computer science club. Sam shook her head in humor and hurried over to where she saw the still large Jack Fenton towering above the other parents.

"Sammykins!" her mother yelled as she caught her daughter in a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You looked wonderful up there! I'm so proud of you dear!"

"Thanks mom," Sam answered as she caught Danny's eye, smirking at the big smile he had on his face as his sister was hugging him and gushing about how much he had grown up. Danny hurried over to her and caught her up in a huge hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around before setting her down. The Fentons and Mansons smiled at each other, happy that their children had finally realized what they had known all along. Even if they had their differences, they could appreciate something as rare as trueyoung love when it happened.

"I need a picture of you and Sam, Danny," Jazz said as she got into position with her digital camera. "I have to show all my friends at school the beautiful girl my little brother got!" She snapped the picture after Sam's blush had receded, and whispered in his ear, "I'll distract mom and dad…go have fun." She gave them both a wink and hurried off to tell her hyper-active parents that she thought she a ghost over near the podium.

Danny put his arms around Sam and turned them both invisible, lifting into the air and away from the minor chaos his parents were causing as they rushed towards the stage. "You know, it really is useful thatJazz knows about my powers," he said in a genuinely happy voice as they glided over the cafeteria and towards wherever their hearts wished.

"Should we tell Tuck and Valerie that we left?" Sam asked as she smiled at the cold breeze flow past her face, admiring the twinkle of the stars and of a pair of green eyes.

"I told them we'd meet them at the after-party thing at the community center in an hour or so," he answered as he dove slightly, making Sam gasp in surprise. "This is your time Sam. Wherever you want to go, that's where we'll go. Any ideas?"

"One," she answered, craning her neck back to look at him, her lilac eyes twinkling mischievously. "I want to dance in the stars…can you arrange that Phantom?"

Smiling at her, the snowy-haired Danny Phantom took her hands and spun her around to face him and stopped flying. He linked on of his hands with her s and put the other on the small of her back, letting her rest her other hand on his shoulder. And so they floated there, dancing their fairy dance and leaving all there cares and worried behind for the night, only focusing on what they had found in each other and what they had learned the past four years.

The clouds were still dark and dense though, promising that they were not done with the young couple just yet…dark like smoke and obscuring fact from fiction.

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**A/N: **And I'm done again! That was longer than the last one…I'd hoped this would be the shortest one but I guess that didn't happen. I know this one really wasn't angsty, but my story isn't just going to be about that…love as many sides to it and I'm going to try my best to represent as many sides of it as I can. Again, I'll post warnings at the beginning of each chapter to let you all know what to expect.

Sorry if I got the Ultimate Enemy reference wrong…I only know what generally happened because I was working when they played it and never got to see it…even though I've seen Reign Storm like ten times… ! Can someone let me know where I can find a screenshot or picture of Dan Phantom…it would really help me out later! And the principal…I only know she's oriental, sorry if I got the name wrong!

Remember to review people! I try to respond to them all, and they honestly do help me write faster than usual! Thanx again to all those who did review last chapter! See you in the next part…Adieu!

Osco


	3. Part 3: Flame

**A/N: **Thanks again to all who read the last two chapters! Especially to those of you who reviewed…you guys brought smiles to my face when I really needed them! It really is encouraging that so many of you guys are entertained by this little fic I had an idea for. **Warnings: **Talk of sex and also some minor swearing. Nothing too major here either…just a bit more angsty and less fluff. There will be fluff there for y'all! Enjoy!

**ATTENTION: **I have just learned about the recent decision by Nick to cancel both Danny phantom and Fairly Odd Parents…it was a very sad day for many of us. Mr. Hartman has told us that if we truly wish for the series to continue, as I'm sure many of us do, than our best bet is to write Nick telling them just how much we LOVE this show. If any of you wish to contact Nick, I know I'm planning on it, please let me know and I'll get you the mailing information if you don't already have it. Again, I urge any of you reading these fanfictions inspired by a truly incredible show to tell the executives at Nick just how you feel.

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Three: Flame**_

Whether the ghosts were taking a holiday or actually respecting his need for some space, Danny didn't care if it meant he was able to get an actual full night of sleep. He could not recall the last time he was able to sleep undisturbed by ghost attacks until nine in the morning since his freshmen year. He knew he should probably check out what was silencing all of his adversaries, but he wanted to actually enjoy some downtime for a while before he had to become a hero again. He smiled in his half-asleep state at the thought of just hanging out with his friends this afternoon instead of chasing a random ghost around Amity Park for hours on end.

The sun, out despite the still abnormally cold weather, flitted through his shut blinds to hit him in the face, which made him squint and crack his eyes open. He tried to escape the rays by rolling over and covering his head with his pillow, but a loud crash followed by a familiar yelp foiled that attempt. Groaning and rubbing his eyes in a tired way, Danny rolled completely out of bed to make sure his dad hadn't done what everyone thought he would do for years: set himself on fire and burn down the house. If Danny had enough energy to smile, he might have at the thought of his mom and Jazz yelling at him while he proudly held up his newest invention.

He almost ran into the door in his sleepy state, but was able to reach the handle and open the door to find his sister waiting for him, an expectant look on her face. Danny wondered briefly how she was able to look so well groomed at nine in the morning during summer break when it was an effort for him to even get out of bed, but she started talking and he had to focus all of his tired brain cells on her so he would have some idea of what she was talking about.

"Dad is calling for us," she said in an exasperated tone that clearly spoke volumes on how much she wanted to go see her father. "I think he and mom have some new gadget they want to show us. Were you still sleeping Danny? It's nine o' clock for goodness sakes!"

"It's summer break Jazz," Danny said with a yawn and a shake of the head to cast off the rest of his sleepiness. "And for once, I wasn't interrupted by ghosts at all last night…excuse me for wanting a full night's sleep. Besides, not all of us have your morning perkiness Jazz…"

"Oh come on Danny," Jazz said with a small laugh at his morning personality as she grabbed his arm and started to drag him downstairs to the lab. "If we wait much longer, Dad will bring up whatever he has, and I do not want my room covered in green goo all over again."

Danny showed his agreement by allowing his older sister to drag him down into the living room and then down into the lab their parent shad set up downstairs. It was actually in this lab that Danny's life had changed so drastically when he had followed Sam's advice and entered the ghost portal to turn it on. To this day, Danny did not think he'd been through worse pain, like every cell in his body was on fire, but he hardly remembered it now. He let his thoughts drift back to the aforementioned young woman and let a goofy smile cover his face, one he had not been able to shake off for the past two weeks…it was better than thinking about ghosts at any rate.

Jazz glanced back at her younger brother and let a small, knowing smile spread across her face at his expression, simply happy that he was finally smiling again. She had remembered when he would snap at everyone and had to force a smile when their parents asked what was wrong with him. He always just said he was stressed and they didn't understand what was going on in his life, which in part was true, but Jazz knew what the really reason was after Sam came over one day near the end of his junior year. She had seen the look of guilt in the girl's lavender eyes and the heartbreak in her brother's clear blue gaze; she hadn't needed anymore information to know that Danny was upset because Sam said she didn't return his feelings.

At first, Jazz had been so confused why Sam had told him that she didn't care, all of her observations and intuition said that the Gothic girl did and for a long while as well, and she had wanted to confront her. However, Danny had told her forcefully to leave Sam alone and not bring it up, saying that he would respect her choice no matter the reason why. The older Fenton sibling knew then just how much her younger brother was in love with his best friend, respecting his wishes and not talking to the younger girl about the effect she was inadvertently having on him. Still, she was very relieved when she was told by an exuberant Danny that they were now together, happy that her brother was smiling and laughing earnestly once more.

The two siblings trekked down into the lab and scanned the area for a sign of their parents, and looking back at each other quizzically before calling out. "Dad? You said to get Danny and come down…where are you guys?"

"Mom, Dad…do either of you two know how early it is right now? Come on! Please don't make me and Jazz try to find you two!"

As if on cue with their pleas, jump-suit clad Jack and Maddie Fenton leapt up from behind a pile of glowing machinery and empty boxes. Maddie still had her red goggles pulled over head, covering her short brown hair, but she smiled at her children regardless, "Hi kids! Did you two get a good night's sleep?"

"Of course they did Maddie," Jack said in his loud voice, jumping out from behind the boxes and striding towards his two kids with two silver buttons in his hand. "Good that both of you are down here, I wanted to show my latest invention…the Fenton Buttons! They automatically act as a homing device and can also warn you of approaching ghosts! Look, we each have one, so we'll always know where you're at…even at college!"

Despite both of his kids' protests, Jack pinned the silver buttons, with the overlapping letters 'F' and 'B' engraved on them, to their clothing and stepping back to admire his handiwork. Maddie walked over towards them as well and proudly showed off the gleaming silver button fastened on her utility belt. Jazz looked over at her brother, a grimace apparent on her face which turned into a scowl when he laughed at her expression.

"Oh come on Jazz," Danny said as their parents were talking loudly about how no ghost would think to mess with the Fentons even if they were away at colleges. "They aren't that bad…at least it's not like the Fenton Gabber or the Fenton Boomerang uh?"

"I guess…" Jazz started to say when he parents interrupted her.

"And look at this, kids!" Jack said excitedly as he pulled out a large looking control and started pushing buttons on it that caused their silver pins to start humming. "They can hone onto the spectral energy given off by ghosts and warn you when they're near! Now, no matter how far away from the safe confines of the Fenton household you are, both of you can still ward off those nasty specters at any time!"

Danny's face turned a pale color as his button started to whir and both of his parents looked at him strangely, wondering why his button was reacting. You see, even though his sister discovered his secret, Danny still had avoided of telling his ghost-hunting parents that he was…well half-ghost really. Jazz had told him to just tell them repeatedly, and even Tucker and Valerie said it would be all right, but he couldn't work up the courage…he kept seeing him strapped to a table and them experimenting on him. He knew it was a ridiculous fear, but he couldn't help but feel it…maybe he should ask Sam what she thought about what he should do.

He hastily took off the pin and shoved it in his mom's hand and said in a high voice, "Wonder what's going with that thing man…looks glitchy to me. I don't think I should where it, you know, in case it just keeps going off in class or…or something, you know?"

"Umm," Maddie hummed to herself as she looked at the small button in her hand with a small frown. "I suppose you're right sweetheart…Jack, this one keeps going off whenever Danny puts it on; we need to fix whatever's wrong with it. If you kids need anything, just holler on down…"

Maddie trailed off as both she and her large husband scampered over to an experiment table to fiddle with the 'broken' pin. Neither saw Danny visible relax, letting out a relieved breath that caused his sister to scowl at him. Danny didn't bother to say anything to her, knowing already what she wanted to say, and simply trudged back upstairs, yelling to his parents he had work until six that night.

He hurried back up to his room, realizing he only had two hours until he had to be at work, bounding up the stairs two at a time. Now, normally it would only take him ten minutes to get ready for work, but Danny was far from normal and almost always had to fight a ghost or two before and after work. It was just easier to leave earlier and get to work on time he discovered after the fifth day…luckily Mr. Jerrio was a little weird so he never pressed Danny on why he always looked exhausted and was late all the time.

Danny took a quick shower and got dressed in his uniform for work, black pants and a black polo tucked in with his sneakers. He didn't even try to tame his hair, accepting after years of experience that it was a lost cause, and just towel dried it before grabbing his car keys and wallet, slamming his door behind him. He hurried down the stairs, yelling down to the lab he was leaving and receiving a goodbye from his mother and a warning from ghosts from his father. He shut the front door to his house and was about to get in the five year old truck he had received for his sixteenth birthday two years prior when a slim hand slapped his hand out of the way.

"Jazz," Danny said in a weary tone, lifting up his blue eyes to look at his sister's stern expression. "I really don't have time to talk about this right now…please just let it go."

"No Danny," Jazz answered, narrowing her turquoise eyes at her brother's attitude. "You know I won't anyway. You can't keep lying to them; you've kept it up way longer than I thought you would. Are you afraid of how they'll react…is that it? Danny, they may be kind of eccentric and…well downright weird, but you're their son! I don't think they'll just turn you over to the police or to some scientists just because you tell them that you're half gho--"

"Jazz please!" Danny hissed quickly, interrupting his red-headed sibling, covering her mouth with his hand, receiving a sarcastic look from her. "Just don't say it all right? Will you just leave me alone about this one? I can't tell them okay? I just can't…every time I've tried the words just…they just die in my throat. Please just leave it be."

"They aren't going to think you're a freak, Danny," Jazz answered when he lowered his hand and moved to open his car door again. "Don't you realize how worried about you they are sometimes? You come home in the early hours of the morning, always look exhausted, and don't forget the time that mom found you after a fight with that ghost-hunting ghost. She thought you'd been jumped for goodness sake Danny! I really think that if you just told them, it would all turn out all right."

"They hate Phantom," Danny said in a low tone, eyes going distant as he pushed his sister's hand off his door and opened it. "How the hell am I supposed to tell them the one ghost they can't stand above all the others lives in their house? Is their son even? If I even tried to tell them…Dad would probably start shooting at me and I don't even want to think about what Mom will do! Trust me Jazz; it's easier for everyone this way. I have to go to work."

Jazz watched her brother climb into his car and drive off down the road with a heavy sigh and felt tears start to form in her eyes. "But what about you?" she asked the retreating form of the beige truck, feeling as if she was losing her brother despite how close they were. "What's easy for you little brother?"

She turned and walked back inside, wishing like hell it was her who had entered that portal instead of her brother that day four years ago…wishing she could take away the burden he had to carry for just a moment. He was giving up his dreams and possibly his future to protect the people here…it wasn't fair she thought with a small, choked sob as she traveled upstairs. She passed her own room, still kept in tact despite the fact she didn't live there anymore, and walked into Danny's instead, smiling at the messiness all over.

As she sat down on his bed, she let her gaze wander over to the various awards and medals he'd won on science fairs over the years. Her brother was actually very smart, science and math coming easy to him whenever he applied himself, but he hardly ever had time because his 'other job' took up so much of his time and energy. She wasn't the only one who was surprised from the grades he began to bring home when he started high school; Jazz was ashamed now as she though about how she had been so hard on him about that.

Deciding she shouldn't dwell on past mistakes any longer, Jazz got up from his bed and thought about going out to lunch with an old friend from high school, but pausing when a small piece of paper caught her eye on Danny's nightstand. She picked up the black scrap, looking at it curiously, and unfolded it to read the very faint white writing on it. At first she was confused, not understanding what it was, but her eyes widened in alarm as she reread the initials signing the note, a name her parents had warned her about filling up her thought.

She covered her mouth with a shaking hand to prevent the scream from escaping her throat, and felt herself drop the paper onto the floor, as if it was suddenly scalding her other hand. She wondered briefly why her brother hadn't told any of them about this, knowing that she hadn't received a similar letter because her roommate had told her the other day no mail had come for her recently. But then, words he had spoken just moments before filled her head, echoing words no eighteen year old should have to deal with.

"_Trust me Jazz, it's easier on every one else this way…"_

"Danny you idiot," Jazz whispered to herself as she bounded downstairs to her parents' lab, determined to let them know the danger going on. Danny may have thought it was easier for others this way, but he was putting himself in unnecessary danger, and even though she knew he fought ghosts on a daily basis…this was different.

Mance Riley wasn't a ghost…he was a murderer.

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Danny, having left for work an hour and a half early, arrived there in a slightly disheveled state ten minutes late, cursing Jazz inwardly at making him talk to her and wasting precious time. He hurried past some of his co-workers, who all pointed out that he was late (as if he had forgotten) and clocked in, pulling on a red apron that said "Jerrio's Health and Aid Market" tying it in a knot behind him as fast as he could. He rushed out and apologized to Mr. Frank Jerrio for being late once again, and received a playful wink from the wizened owner who said something about the clock in the back being slow before wandering into his office.

Danny's shift supervisor let him know what was going on, but not a soul walked into the store for two hours anyway, no that Danny cared much. He looked around the health store and smiled at himself for a moment, remembering he took this job for the chance to see Sam…even though they were on the outs at the time. It was her kind of grocery store, and she actually was an old friend of the owner, but she never came in. Or, at least, just not when he worked.

He let his eyes drift shut as he stood behind the counter, still tired despite the full night's sleep he got the previous night, knowing that one of the other associates would wake him up if, by some chance, someone meandered into the store. He still marveled at his ability to keep this job…sure, summer break made it a whole lot easier, but during the school semester it was brutal. He was juggling schoolwork, preparing for college, this job, and his ghost-fighting side job; needless to say, the latter took up the majority of his time and strength. But, he had wanted to actually drive his car and he had to pay his insurance on his own now; his parents had taken his truck away from him when he got into an accident, ghost related of course, and gave him the ultimatum at the beginning of senior year.

He had accepted their deal and now worked at the health store four days a week; sure, he didn't actually need to drive his car, flying around worked well enough, but he was determined to try and act normally in some aspects. Besides, the job provided yet another distraction to keep his mind off Sam…

"Danny?" a familiar voice addressing him, startling him so bad his hand shot out and he ended up banging his forehead on the counter and falling to the ground. Groaning, he rubbed the now red mark he had on his face and slowly lifted himself off the ground, bracing his body on the counter so he didn't lose his balance. His slightly watering blue eyes met two very amused amethyst ones twinkling back at him, her mouth quirked into a small smirk that was threatening to start laughing.

"Hey Sammy," Danny said after a moment of silence, looking at her like nothing had happened. "What can I do for you today?"

Sam couldn't take it any longer, she started to laugh so loudly and hard that she had to hold her side with one hand and brace herself on the counter with the other. Danny looked at her in mock indignation, putting a hand over his hand in a dramatic, wounded gesture saying, "You wound me with your horrid giggles Samantha Manson!"

"Oh shut up you big baby," Sam said with a playful slap as she calmed down and straightened up to look at him fully. She put her hand on the red mark gracing his forehead, laughing quietly to herself and commenting, "Smooth Fenton. Very smooth indeed. I didn't mean to scare you…but you really shouldn't be sleeping on the job!"

"Uh Sam," Danny said as he waved his hands around the store, indicating they were the only people still in there. "Have you looked around recently? Well, it's been like this for the past two and a half hours…forgive me for sleeping on the invisible customers. That was very rude of me."

"Ghost fight?" Sam asked, ignoring his comments with a glare which only caused him to smirk in that infuriating fashion.

"Only two," Danny said with a wave of his hand, suggesting nothing out of the ordinary. "Just Bertrand and Spectra…nothing serious. No I'm, well, I'm kind of upset with Jazz. We kind of got into an argument before work and I haven't been able to shake it out of my mind until I had other…thoughts…occupy my mind in my little nap."

Sam smiled at the way he looked specifically at her when he mentioned the other thoughts, forcing the blush to recede and asked him in a flustered tone, "An argument? What about…is Jazz being over-protective again? Because Danny, if that's the case, you're never going to win that battle."

"No," he said with a sigh as he walked out from behind the counter and headed over towards the multi-vitamin section of the store, Sam following with a slight frown at his serious tone. "She wants me to tell our parents about me. She's actually been on my case about it for a while, ever since she headed off to college, and got kind of miffed when I lied to my mom about a new gadget of theirs being off. She's even got Tuck and Valerie on her side now…I just don't know what to do I guess."

Sam reached over and took his hand, which had been rearranging vitamin containers, in her slim one, giving it a comforting squeeze which made him look over at her. "Well," she said in a quiet voice, locking her eyes with his depthless blue ones. "Maybe I don't know your parents as well as you or your sister does Danny, but I think you've kept this a secret long enough. I had wished you told them back in freshmen year…you wouldn't have had to deal with all of that stress by yourself that way. What's so scary about letting them in on your secret?"

"They are ghost hunters for God's sake!" Danny exclaimed as he pulled his hand away and walked over to the health bars and began straitening those up too. "They hate anything to do with ghosts…what makes me any different?"

"Uh," Sam said with a frown on her face and walking after him. "Because you're their son, hello! Oh come on Danny, you're making a mountain out of a mole-hill. You're parents accept you for who you are, and they'll accept all of you if you let them. Doesn't Phantom deserve parents too?"

Danny spun around and gave her a strange look, before he let it fall and just looked back at her with a small, resigned smile. "You really think that I should don't you Sammy?" He shifted his gaze to the floor, a gesture that reminded Sam of a puppy getting caught digging in the backyard and made her reach up and stroke his black hair.

"I think you should do what you feel is right in your heart Danny," Sam said, still running her fingers through his hair as he lifted up his head to look back at her. "No matter what happens, you'll still have people who love you right here. I don't care whether your hair's white or black and I don't care whether you breathe or not…I just care period. And, call it women's intuition if you must, I think you'll discover that I'm not the only one of the same opinion."

Danny leaned in and kissed her gently; happy for the faith she had in him and his family. He pulled away, but Sam tugged his head back down, smiling slightly into the kiss at the minor protest of "I'm at work Sam!" he tried to say. Sam was not aware how long they stood like that when a gruff voice gave a 'harrumph' and both young adults looked up in surprise and embarrassment.

"This the one that beat out Denalee?" Mr. Jerrio said with a knowing smile, jutting his head in Sam's direction and addressing Danny.

"Uh yes," Danny said as he felt his face heat up, thinking of the very forward girl employed here tried many times to get Danny to go out with her when he first started work here. "Mr. Jerrio, this is Sam. Sam, this is my, um, my boss." It was only after he introduced them did he remember that they already knew each other, and he slapped a hand to his bruised forehead in mortification.

"Hi," Sam said with a slight laugh at the red tinge still decorating her halfa's face. She shook the old man's hand, knowing why she liked her old friend so much just by the look in his warm, gray eyes. "I already know you, but it's been a while uh Frankie?"

"She's much prettier," Mr. Jerrio said after mock deliberation, giving Sam a friendly wink and ignoring her reference that she knew him. "Nice pick Fenton…go on home why don't ya? Got plenty of coverage here right now…go spend some time with that pretty girl on your arm!"

"Are you sure?" Danny started to say when he was being pushed into the back by the kind old man who was hollering to stop being so stubborn and just get his stuff. Danny came back out without the apron and with his car keys, a befuddled expression adorning his face as he glanced back one more time at his very strange employer.

"Thanks Frankie," Sam said with a yell as she yanked Danny out of the store and towards his familiar truck, still smiling at the expression on his face.

"Did you have anything to do with that, by any chance?" Danny asked Sam as he opened the door for her and let her in, knowing she had walked to the store without having to ask.

"Maybe," she answered coyly as he shut the door, smirking at him still when he got into the car. "Just wanted to spend some time with you before I have to go to orientation up in New York tomorrow. Can you believe that my entire family wants to go too? I think my parents are making some kind of vacation out of it…I have to stay for a week there!"

"You leave tomorrow?" Danny asked as he pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the street. "Great, with Tuck, Val, and now you gone I'm going to have be stuck with my parents and sister all day long! I was really hoping you wouldn't leave for another day or two…"

"I'm coming back Danny," Sam said with a small laugh, even though something in her mind was hissing _"This time at least"_. They both seemed to have the similar thought and fell under a heavy silence that neither of them could stand. Sam tried several times to start another conversation, but one look at the closed off expression playing on his face dissuaded her, and soon they weren't all that far from his house.

"You want to go out and do something tonight?" Danny asked suddenly, startling Sam slightly. "Like, catch a movie or get something to eat?"

"Are you asking me out on an actual date Danny Fenton?" Sam asked with a smile, giggling at the roguish smile he sent back at her, eyes glowing green for a second.

"That depends," he answered playfully. "Are you saying yes?"

"I think I can put off packing for a few more hours for a good horror flick," Sam replied back, eyebrows quirking and eyes dancing in mischief.

"Then yes, yes I am," Danny said with a laugh as he pulled up to his drive way. He parked is car and then sent Sam a confused gaze, which she met, at the police car on the curb next to the house. "Oh man," Danny groaned as he let Sam out of the car and they both headed over towards the front door. "Please don't tell me that my parents exploded something again!"

He cautiously opened the door to find several police detectives, officers, his parents, and his sister all huddled in the front room, talking about something. Grabbing Sam's hand, he ventured into the room and asked quietly, "Umm…what's going on?"

"Maybe you can tell us Danny," his mother answered in a worried voice, making him think she knew about the secret he was going to tell them already. The rest of the crowd in the room looked up at him in a way that was both worried and angry at something.

"What are you talking ab--"

He never got to finish his thought as his mother held up the black note he had hidden in his room, silencing any protest he had in is throat. It took him a moment and he didn't speak until he felt Sam grip his hand tighter, drawing strength from her. "Where did you get that?"

"In your room," Jazz said, evidence of tears on her cheeks apparent. "Why didn't you tell any of us about this Danny? Do you know how worried we were about you, and when mom called your work, your boss said you'd left early, but you didn't answer your phone and…"

"I was driving Jazz," he answered, looking at his parents too. "And I…I was going to tell you but I didn't want to ruin grad night for the family or anything…I kind of forgot about it." He knew it was a lie, and so did Sam, but thankfully she didn't say anything.

"When did you get it Daniel?" one of the detectives asked him, a calculating look on his face telling the halfa to tell the truth.

"About two weeks ago," he answered hesitantly, glancing at the startled looks on his parents' faces, and listening to Jazz gasp in dread. "In a…in a letter from the college I'm going to next fall. That's all that was in there."

"And," the detective continued, walking close to Danny and looking him in the eye. "Did you have any idea on who it was from?"

"Yes," Danny answered, running a hand through his black hair and glancing up briefly at Sam before continuing. "I had a pretty good idea it was from Mance Riley…he told me those words that one time in the park."

"Then why didn't you tell us Danny?" Maddie asked suddenly, fixing her son with a gaze. "Jazz didn't get a letter like this, she checked with her roommate earlier today. Just you…do you know how worried we were about you?"

Danny stared at his parents, noting for the first time how saddened his father looked, such a drastic change from what he usually looked like. He felt the white hot feeling of guilt form in his stomach and he looked down to avoid looking at his parents. He had really meant to tell them about the note but he forgot because of all the ghosts, work, and Sam. "I guess I…I didn't want to trouble anyone with my problem."

"But it's not your problem Danny!" Maddie said tearfully, standing up, hurrying over, and engulfing him in a shaking hug. "It's ours, your father's and mine! I don't want that man getting near you…this is our responsibility, not yours! You have enough things to worry about young man, don't you dare take on this as well!"

Sam let go if Danny's hand and walked over to comfort Jazz, knowing the older girl needed something right about now and letting Maddie have a moment with her son. She heard Danny whisper "I'm sorry" to his mom as he hugged her back, letting her come to grips that he was all right and not…well, a ghost.

'Oh the irony,' Sam thought to herself as she told Jazz that everything was fine and to calm down. She wasn't the best at being comforting in girlish ways, but she was very good at being gruff and stating it as it was, which she found was more helpful in these situations. Sure enough, Jazz calmed down and she started talking to Sam about the situation, which Sam listened to even though Danny had already told her.

She glanced over for a second to see Jack Fenton giving the police contact information, acting in such a professional matter that Sam almost didn't recognize it as Jack. The police exited, and the detectives said that there would be at least one patrol in the area to escort the Fenton children anywhere…namely work for Danny. The left and Jack heaved a heavy sigh, heading over to where his wife was still sitting near Danny, though no longer hugging him, and gripped Danny' shoulder in a way that seemed to reassure himself rather than his blue-eyed son. Both parents rose and spoke to each other for a moment, then said that dinner was in an hour and asking what kind of pizza everyone wanted. The usual cheese and pepperoni was asked for, and then Danny asked for vegetarian, which earned a knowing smile from his mother to Sam.

"I'm sorry Sam," Danny said with a tired voice as he walked over towards her and wrapped her in his arms. "But, it looks like I'm going to have to post-pone that date. How about pizza here instead?"

"That's fine Danny," Sam said as she placed a small kiss on his lips and then laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She admitted, she was worried about leaving him for a week, but Tucker was coming back in two days…he should be able to look after himself for that long. She felt Danny kiss the top of her head, and she smiled at the chills he gave her still. "Are you going to tell your parents about Phantom?"

"Not yet," Danny answered after a moment, seemingly thinking about it in his head. "They're so stressed about this whole situation with Riley…I don't want to give them a heart attack and tell them I'm the ghost-boy too. I will tell them though Sam, I promise."

She smiled at him and nodded, then disengaged herself and grabbed his hand. "Try not to get in to much trouble while I'm gone Ghost-boy," she said playfully as she brushed his hair out of his eyes and they both walked into the kitchen for some pizza.

"Me, get into trouble?" Danny asked with a mock offended look that made Sam laugh. "Now when as that ever happened?"

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Sam could not recall a time when she had been more bored as she paced her hotel room in the ritzy Hilton Hotel in New York City. Her orientation had been done for a day, and she had gotten the lay of the land around the university relatively well, and now she had absolutely nothing to do except tour the city for four more days. She refused to go to any of the parties her parents were going to, and her only saving grace was that her grandmother was taking her to see "Rent" on Broadway on Friday. So, she had three days to spend in her room, knitting for all her parents knew, and listen to her mother talk about taking her shopping at some of the high fashion boutiques that graced New York.

She missed Danny, she thought to herself as she plopped down on her bed and played with the necklace he gave her on her birthday. She had received it before their minor rift, she was the oldest out of the four, and she never took it off unless she was showering. It made her feel connected to him, just holding it in her hand, like he was close by her, watching over her like always.

"You would like it here Danny," Sam said out loud to him even though he wasn't there, a habit she had picked up of late. "It would be a new experience for you…if you visit me down here I'll give you a tour sometime…"

It was so depressing, thinking that she would have to put one thousand in between them come September, but it didn't change the fact that she was going to have to. It had always been her dream to go to NYU, she wanted to be a political journalist, and now she was given the chance to. She just wish she didn't have to leave Danny for four months at a time while she was at school…but he'd visit. Wouldn't he? She certainly hoped so, but sometimes he did forget things and was distracted easily…

"He'll remember," Sam said to herself. "I'll make sure to see to it that he remembers."

Sam felt herself blush hotly, and she sat up in shock, surprised by her own words. Who was she to say that she could make him remember her? She hardly knew what she was doing half the time whenever she was with him…what made her think that she'd know what to do if she were ever…intimate with him? Was it even to soon to start thinking about that sort of thing, and if not, did Danny even want to?

Okay, that was a stupid question Sam told herself, thinking that he was male and knowing that if he was offered, he wouldn't pas it up.

Still, the fact remained that, compared to most girls her age, Sam was largely behind when it came to sexual encounters. While she didn't fully believe that Danny and Valerie had ever had sex, he certainly did seem to have more of an idea of what he was doing than herself. Maybe Phantom was much more…experienced…as well, and that carried over to Danny. But still, that was still to far-fetched because Phantom and Fenton were the same person…just a bit different when it came to emotions.

Sam kept dwelling on the issue late into the night, and it wasn't until her alarm beeped at midnight, did Sam decide to just try to sleep and worry about this another day…maybe she'd talk to her grandma about this at the play. She certainly trusted a more rational conversation if she choose her 'wild' grandma over her mother. Sam changed into a pair of purple sweatpants and put on a slouchy black sweater over her white tank top to stay warm. She brushed her teeth, and put up her hair in a loose bun before climbing in bed, letting sleep try to overwhelm her.

But it eluded her for an hour or so, and she ended up just sitting up and staring out the window and up at the crescent moon in the ebony sky. She felt a strange buzzing in her brain, one that didn't seem to go away no matter how hard she tried to will it, and it grew into pictures from a boy's head she knew all to well. She kicked off her covers and lurched to her feet as a nauseous feeling washed over her small frame as the flashes of colors pass through her head.

Her left hand flew up and gripped the amethyst pendant around her neck, and she vaguely saw a bright lavender glow emit from the jewel…a jewel that was glowing like spectral fire…

"You…" Sam heaved out to the absent boy as she clutched her head with her other hand. "You had this made in the Ghost Zone…What's wrong Danny?"

She saw a flash of silver and a clear picture of a glowing young woman…a young woman who looked like winter herself all rolled into one with the other seasons. Her cold, black eyes bore down onto Sam, and the Gothic girl felt herself and another presence cringe away from her. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she fell to the ground, her hand still clutching the shimmering gem that flared to life with one last blast of light and then extinguished…leaving the body of a young woman lying on the floor of a hotel room.

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**A/N: **Honestly, how many of you would kill me if I left it here? Well, I added on a little extra piece that was for the next chapter. Thanx Lacey52 for getting me the Dark Danny info!

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Sam woke up in a clearing she recognized all too well…a familiar swing set and monkey bars piercing her vision as she looked around. It was different though…it was broken and unused, one of the swings moving in a slow rhythm by itself that echoed lost childhood. It was also glowing faintly, as if it was a memory or…

"Where am I?" she asked, noting that her voice echoed and sounded strange. She looked down at herself, noting the same clothing she had been wearing in the hotel room, but she too was faintly glowing, as if she wasn't really there. Her glowing necklace caught her attention though almost immediately after her appearance, its hypnotic glow catching her eye. She wondered what had happened when she recalled the images and the pain and then finally blacking out.

She looked back and forth, not sure of where to go, but deciding that she needed to move somewhere. She took a tentative step away from the broken playground, and yelped in surprise a path suddenly revealed itself to her, leading to nowhere and somewhere. "Well," she said as she started walking, proving that Sam Manson wasn't one to give up or back down. "I guess I'll just keep walking until I find someone who can help me out."

So, she did just that. She walked down the road and paused often to see if the slight noises she heard were anything of consequence before pressing on. She had no idea where she was, or what was going on, but maybe if she kept walking she would wake back up in her hotel room and the floor and chiding herself for eating ice cream before heading to bed. Or thinking about sex for that matter.

The area she was in suddenly turned into an area that looked like a theme park, walled by video game consoles and games all along the walls. Sam marveled at her surroundings when something else much more pertinent caught her eye. There was a boy bouncing around like an idiot on one of the rides, and then landing in front of her, flashing a funny grin her way with all blue eyes that looked odd, even for him.

There, standing right in front of and decked out in all blue and glowing slightly was a very hyper and very happy Danny.

"Danny?" Sam asked in a bewildered voice, causing the blue Danny to start laughing at her, as if she had just made the best joke in the world. "Danny, what's going on here? And what's up with your eyes and clothing?"

The blue boy bounded right up to her and stuck his tongue out at her before running away like a moron, yelling something about she couldn't catch him. Sam hurried after him, shouting for him to stop, which he finally did after five minutes or so, but still running around her like a monkey.

"What's wrong with you Danny!" Sam yelled at him, trying to catch her breath and waving her hands around like a crazy person.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" the blue Danny asked in a bored voice, looking at her like she was the least fun thing in the world. "You already asked me that…are you always this boring? Why don't you want to play or anything?"

"Danny," Sam tried to say with as calm a voice as she could. "Please stop acting like an idiot and just answer me all right? Do you know where we are or not?"

The blue boy stopped bouncing around and froze, looking at her with a huge grin on his face. "You don't know! HAHAHAHA! That's sooooo funny! Well, I gotta go, but maybe you'll find someone as boring as you! Bye Bye Sammy!" And with that, the blue Danny ran away and disappeared into thin air, leaving a very confused Sam standing in the middle of an abandoned road again.

"Okay," she said with a very annoyed tone. "When I find you Fenton, you are so gonna pay for calling me boring you big, dumb a--"

"You don't like me anymore?" a pitiful voice asked her from behind, and she spun around quickly to see who had said it. She had to blink here eyes once before she looked back to the form in front of her. It was Danny! Except, instead off all blue, he was in all gray and his eyes were gray as well. He looked like he was about to cry and his form was hunched over as well.

"Danny?" Sam asked, questioning her own sanity now as she looked at the sad looking boy in front of her. "Okay…you were just in blue, and now you're in all gray and acting like I killed your metaphorical puppy. Not to be rude, but what the hell is going on and where am I?"

"The necklace brought you here," the Gray Danny said in a soft voice, sniffling as if he really was going to cry! "Do you hate that too? I'm sorry for making you wear it if you do…"

"I don't hate it Danny, and I don't hate you," she muttered, the last of patience ebbing away. "So stop acting like I broke up with you all right?"

"I'm sorry…" he started to say when Sam held up her hand and said, "Please don't say that anymore Danny. I just want to get out of here all right? Do you know a way out?"

"Uh uh," Gray Danny said in such a pathetic voice it made Sam want to hurl. "But you won't like me anymore once we get there…"

"Whatever Danny," Sam said as she followed the distraught boy in front of her, putting herself through his numerous apologies for petty things he'd done during his life. To be honest, Sam didn't even remember half of the things he said 'I'm sorry' for. After what seemed like eternity passed, Gray Danny froze in place, terror etched across his face and shaking visibly. "Danny?" Sam asked in a worried tone as she watched Gray Danny back away from her. "Is everything all right?"

"No…" he whimpered as he disappeared, only an echo remaining after he was gone. "I told you that you wouldn't like me once we got here…"

Sam looked back ahead of her and felt her breath catch at the figure looming before her on the blank road. She could vaguely recall what he looked like, but that didn't mean she couldn't remember him all the same. Especially when Danny had told them everything about him in great deal and how evil he was…is apparently. Floating before her, a horrible distortion of the smirk she loved so much playing on his ghostly pale face, was a nightmare that was supposed to be over. His cold, red eyes regarded her with something bordering on hatred and his white-flamed hair was raging on his head. He still looked somewhat like the boy she loved, but anything that made Danny her Danny was gone.

Before her flew Dan Phantom…a twenty-four ear old perversion of nature and everything she believed in. He was a path that Danny could have taken, but a path that he spurned instead…he shouldn't exist at all! But yet, there he was…and then he spoke.

"Confused are we Samantha?" he asked her in that cold, heartless tone that still held vestiges of what Danny sounded like. It was sickening to listen to. "I'm sure you are…thrown into a world where nothing makes sense and nightmares come alive…to bad it's not a nightmare eh?"

"You don't exist!" Sam said as she stumbled back when he approached her, the smirk contorting further into an evil smile that scared the purple-eyed girl. "Danny stopped you from existing!"

"Oh but Samantha," he said calmly, the grin widening to bare his fangs. "Don't you understand? I still exist inside of your precious Daniel Fenton…a darkness that he can never escape. That he can never hope to defeat."

Dan flipped back his cape and grabbed Sam's arm, pulling her close, laughing when she flinched. "You really were a fool to come here Samantha, even if that damn pendant called for you! Now, I think this is a good way to ensure that Daniel becomes me…I'll destroy the soul of the person he loves more than anything in the living world…let dear old Danny know you're here now my dear."

Sam's eyes went wide with horror as Dan lifted a hand encased with ghost energy to kill her with, and then she shut them as he brought it down, hoping she would wake up from this nightmare soon. The blow never came, and Sam felt herself knocked over to the ground, and a bellow of rage filled her ears form above her. Her curiosity overriding whatever her instincts were screaming at her, Sam lifted her head off from the ground, and directed her lavender gaze upwards.

She saw Dan fighting two separate beings, one she recognized very well and the other familiar but not in an immediate way. She saw the snowy-haired Danny Phantom flying around and blasting the evil version of him, and she saw a version of Danny dressed in all black, with startling purple eyes like her own, binding and locking Dan away, even though he was thrashing around and shooting powerful beams everywhere. She saw the monstrous thing that had once been her best friend locked away and before she could call up to Danny, he disappeared in a haze of green.

The black clad Danny was looking at her in the way a child looks at a person he or she knows is great and then also walked away and out of sight. Sam sat on the ground in shock at what she had just witnessed, to dumb-founded to even get up. It wasn't until she heard another voice call out her name that she even moved her head, and found herself staring at yet another Danny…this one different form the rest, like the black one had been.

He had on all yellow robes, and was wearing glasses, his eyebrows quirked at her in a know-it-all fashion from underneath them. He walked over to her and hauled her up, brushing off some dirt and leaves off her clothing. Sam looked straight into his yellow eyes and let out a sigh, asking in a tired voice, "Will you please just let me know what's going on right now? I'm thinking I'm completely crazy because you're the sixth different version of Danny I've seen here today, or tonight."

"You are not crazy, just misinformed," The Yellow Danny answered as he led her away from the fight scene. "I really do wish that Daniel would listen to me every once in a while…I'll explain everything my dear. It really isn't all that hard to figure out once you know you're way around here, and you can head back to your body."

"My body?" Sam asked in an incredulous tone, skepticism entering her voice. "Danny, what are you talking about?"

"Yes your body," Yellow Danny answered with a small smile. "Did you notwonder why Rage said he would destroy your soul Samantha? And, I'm not Danny...you may call me Knowledge though if you wish."

"Oh my God," Sam said as she stopped walking, looking into the yellow eyes of her guide as he simply smiled back at her and nodded. "I'm in Danny's mind…"

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**A/N: **Okay, so I may still get murdered for this, but oh well. The chapter's getting too long! Hope everyone liked that! I used the inside of the mind thing from Raven of Teen Titans…I thought it was a very clever way to express the subconscious, so I used it. Sorry if it bothered anyone, but artistic choice! Hehe!

Remember you guys, I LOVE reviews! Let me know what y'all thought! Again, if anyone wants to help the SAVE DANNY campaign, let me know and I'll send you the contact info! See you next time yes?

Osco


	4. Part 4: Blaze

**A/N: ** Hello, I'm back and I'm rearing to go…I have a steady truce w/ my TT fans so this fic gets my full attention! Thanks to everybody who reviewed…though, for over a hundred views I only got a few reviews? That's just sad on my part…but, I'm not going to demand a certain number to get me to update, but please, let me know what you think! It kind of bums me out when I see other decent writing getting hardly any reviews and stories that have no plot getting over a hundred. To those who did, you guys seriously rock my world! Thank you so much!

I hope you guys like this one…it is, so far, my favorite to write to date. **Warnings:** It gets gritty here, I'm not going to lie…there is definite physical abuse, swearing, minor mentions of sex, and also mention of child abuse. Sorry if this makes some of you squirm, but I did warn you in the beginning though. It will be done tastefully though, I can promise you all that. Enjoy this one!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Four: Blaze**_

Sam stood where she was for a moment, unmoving as her brain processed what her mouth had just said. Had she just spoken aloud that she was really inside the mind of another living being? Danny Fenton's mind, her best friend and now boyfriend, no less! She raised her amethyst eyes and looked around her, noting for the first time the swirling lights that made the sky above her. Images, like clouds, hung above her head, playing out memories of the young man's life like a film about ghosts; she briefly wondered how she had not noticed it before. She smiled despite her current situation at a flicker of a thought where Danny, Tucker, and herself were all playing in Tucker's backyard; playing make believe and fighting off enemies like they were super heroes. But, it was gone as soon as it had appeared, and Sam tore her eyes away from Danny's memories and thoughts, not wanting to invade his privacy more than she already had.

Turning her attention back over towards the yellow clad Danny look-alike, Sam let her shoulders droop and whispered in an almost defeated way, "I think I need to sit down now." She brought one hand to her temple and began massaging her forehead while the other wringed the loose material of her tank-top over her stomach.

"Then I think we should head somewhere not so out in the open," the self-proclaimed Knowledge said with an amused voice, quirking his eyebrow at the distraught girl. "It would not be prudent for us to have the sort of conversation you need where anyone can hear you."

"Uh," Sam replied with a confused look on her face as she waved around at their surroundings. "In case you haven't noticed, we're in someone else's thoughts! Who are we supposed to be hiding from?"

"No one," Knowledge replied as he adjusted his glasses and approached her. "However, the one who you recognized as Dan Phantom is not the only negative emotion in here…he may be the worst, but not the only one. That and I think you deserve some peace and quiet as I tell you what you want answers for…we'll be badgered by others if you decide to just sit out here."

"Oh," Sam snapped back, already annoyed at how condescendingly this guy talked to her. "And you know somewhere that I can go and not be bothered? Again, in case you haven't realized yet, we are in Danny's mind! How the hell are we supposed to find a place where no one else can bother us when everything here can disappear and reappear whenever they want to!"

Knowledge regarded her with a crooked grin before shaking his head in gentle laughter. "You really do need to calm down…I suppose it is partly my fault for not meeting you when you first arrived. However, I was…preoccupied…and could not get here as fast as I wanted to. Come on Samantha, let's go and find you a calm place to rest."

"Where?" she asked as he took her hand and started leading her down the path, knowing exactly where he was headed.

"Even in the mind, you create places where nothing can disturb you…where you can remain undisturbed from other thoughts and feelings," Knowledge replied as he sent her a cryptic smile, one that in turn made her smile even though she was still annoyed with him. "Now, who else did you meet on the path before you came across me?"

"Uh, I met a crazy blue Danny," Sam said after she took her attention off of a very Pink Danny who was running in what looked to be a field of flowers. "And after he said I was boring, I met this really depressing gray Danny who kept apologizing for things he'd done that might have made me angry."

"Oh," Knowledge said with a bit of a grimace. "Well, I'm sorry you had to come across Fun, the blue one, like that…most of us try to avoid him as much as possible. He keeps saying that I remind him of a beehive…and well, the gray one was Despair, so that's to be expected. To be honest, you could have had worse luck than those two."

"What, that Rage guy wasn't enough?" Sam asked sarcastically, looking at an orange colored Danny burp loudly as he watched what looked like a memory.

"Well," Knowledge conceded as he led Sam down a different path that branched off from the original one. "You did have rotten luck with him…but you're not a soulless corpse so no need to worry about that any longer. While we're on the subject however, I might as well explain a bit about that one in case we run into him again…he's not really Rage, at least not solely. The form you saw is a rather nasty combination of Rage, Greed, Pain, and Lust that creates something called Darkness…at least, that's what he calls himself. Usually, they aren't to bad when separate, but they can be a problem when all are combined together like that…that's why most of us try to keep them away from each other."

"Oh," Sam said, wondering to herself what would create Darkness inside her own mind. She also was wondering why Lust, attraction to her, would be such a bad thing, but another question formed in her mouth instead. "Who were the two that helped me? I know one was Danny Phantom, but the other…"

"Neither were Danny, Samantha," Knowledge interrupted giving her a small smile. "The green one who was fighting so heroically was just that…he was Bravery. In all honesty, he's quite annoying and I was happy he didn't insist on staying and helping you…but then, I suppose he also was preoccupied like I was. And the black one, you'll meet that one soon enough."

"And the Pink and Orange one tagging behind us?" Sam asked with a groan as she shot another glance behind at the two emotions that had been following them for a few minutes, curious looks on their faces as they stared at her.

Knowledge looked behind his shoulder and waved a dismissive hand. "Happiness and Leisure respectively. They're both bored right now, and have nothing better to do. I assume that's why you also ran into Fun and Despair as well…Danny must have sent Bravery away for a moment when he felt you were in trouble."

"How did he know?" Sam asked, a bit frustrated that he kept alluding to something but never answering it for her. "How did I even get to be here? How do I get out? Can you please just tell me what's going on already?"

"Here we are!" Knowledge said as he clapped his hands and displayed a small cave to her startled lilac eyes. "Head on inside my dear, I'll send Happiness and Leisure away and join you in a moment."

He gave Sam a gentle push inside the alcove, and started speaking to the other emotions in an authoritative way. Sam turned around and gave a startled gasp at her surroundings…it looked just like her room; it even had her posters lining the cave walls. She sat down on her four poster bed and gazed around, wondering if anything was ever going to make sense again once she woke up from her dream. She was about to call for Knowledge when another form sat next to her on the bed, making her yelp in surprise and whirl around to face the unknown emotion.

Her lilac eyes met a pair that matched hers exactly, and the face of Danny Fenton smiled back at her in a child-like way. She was still staring at the black-clad Danny who had helped save her from the Darkness earlier when Knowledge entered, straightening his glasses as he looked over at the two of them.

"I see you've met Love, Samantha," Knowledge said as he took a seat on the chair she had by her desk, smirking at her in a knowing way. Sam looked back over at the emotion in astonishment at how darkly dressed he was and that was still smiling at her as he rolled off the bed and laughed soundlessly on the ground at her expression. "I believe he is happy to see you."

"This is Love?" Sam asked after she overcame her initial surprise. "I was expecting someone a bit more…colorful I guess. Why is he all covered in black and not making any noise? Can't he talk like the rest of you?"

"Love can take on many forms Samantha," Knowledge answered as he gave a gentle smile to the now cart-wheeling Love, displaying to Sam that Knowledge was also a little bit of something else…wisdom maybe. "Love is dressed the way he is to offset the happiness he exudes…for, isn't love both painful and wonderful? Your Danny's image of Love is everything positive about the emotion, but he shows that love is also painful be dressing him in all dark colors. And as to why he doesn't speak…Love as no reason to speak…he expresses."

"And he has purple eyes because...?" Sam asked a she smiled at the tricks Love was now performing for her with apparent ghost abilities.

"To signify that it was the love Danny had for you that awoke him fully," Knowledge answered, not noting the deep blush that now colored the pale girl's cheeks. "That is also why the other emotions are drawn to you…they recognize you as the one who Love exists for. Love as only been around for a little over a year, but only recently as he been set free about the mind and it interests the others that it was you who caused that. Darkness in particular was very interested, and used the fact that most of the stronger emotions were busy to come and try to dispose of you…he especially hates Love because Love is his major obstacle in claiming dominance here."

"Not you?"

"I told you," Knowledge answered with a sigh. "Danny hardly listens to me…I'm not much of an opposition over Darkness unless I'm paired with Love or someone as powerful…but we aren't talking about what we need to and time is short. I promise, you'll have your new questions answered another day, but now we have to talk about what we originally needed to. I believe you wanted to know how you came to be in Danny's mind in the first place."

"Yes I did want to know," Sam answered with a smile as Love sat back down next to her, holding her hand with all the warmth that Danny could. "Does it have something to do with all the weird glimpses into Danny's head I've been getting lately?"

"Yes," Knowledge replied as he rested his head on his propped up hands, fixing Sam with a look. "And everything that those have to do with is directly caused by the pendant hanging around your neck."

Sam's hand flew to the small gemstone hanging at the nape of her neck, her eyes going wide. She looked back up at the yellow clad emotion and started to voice a million questions but he held up a hand to stop her. "Please, just let me finish. It's imperative that I tell you everything you need to know before Love and I are called away again.

"When you guessed that the necklace was from the Ghost Zone, you were correct, but only partly. It actually was part of the human world for a long time…made by a particular powerful human that has been fantasized by popular culture, a young wizard by the name of Merlin. Before he died, a ghost you know as Clockwork came and took possession of it, to keep it safe for someone that Merlin thought could use it. Clockwork has given it to certain humans throughout history during times of struggle, because of its power; this small stone as the power to connect two people together who strongly care about each other. It does not need to be between a man and a woman; it can be between any two people as long as the feeling is strong enough. In fact, it can even create a link between two people who hate each other…in theory.

"Clockwork gave the pendant to Danny after a major battle with Plasmius, the one that resulted in his small hospital stay that you all said was because of a car accident the had gotten in. He told Danny about the power of the pendant, and on your eighteenth birthday, he gave it to you as a gift to forever have a connection between each other in case you ever did end up returning his feelings. Luckily, you do, and the pendant was activated, so now you have a connection with him like he does with you. This is very useful for all of us a bunch right now.

"Now, when you wake up, you need to head back home, no matter what your parents say, and find Tucker immediately. Trust in the pendant and what your heart tells you, and everything should be resolved soon enough to save them both…"

"Save who?" Sam asked quickly, getting up from her seat, but still holding Love's hand as he looked at her in concern. But then Love looked suddenly to the left, as if something was calling to him, and the emotion let go of Sam's hand and looked sharply at Knowledge, giving his head a short nod.

"Danny's in a spot of trouble Samantha," Knowledge said as he rose up from his seat and strode over towards the entrance of the cave. "And we need your help more than anything else…you need to find Danny, Samantha, before that pendant goes cold. We need to go now, our time is up…to get back, just focus on the pendant and you'll find your way."

Love turned back around and cupped Sam's face with a tender hand, looking at her in hope and trust with those purple eyes mirrored after her own. He leaned his head down and gave her a soft kiss that sent shivers throughout her whole body and made her heart beat faster before turning around and exiting the cave. Knowledge paused for a moment and gave Sam a warning look and spoke to her in a low voice before also leaving.

"I want you to remember something Samantha…no matter what happens in the future, promise me that you'll do everything you can to keep Love alive in here. As I said before…Darkness is only able to be confined when Love or Trust is present when he attacks. A dark time is fast approaching the world of the living, and you'll be forced to question everything you believe in, but don't question the feeling you have towards Danny…believe in it Sammy."

Sam stared at the spot where Knowledge had been for a while after he left before whispering to Danny's mind as she gripped the amethyst tightly, "I won't forget Danny…I promise." With that thought, Sam focused all of her energy into the small gemstone in her hand and getting back into her body. With her eyes closed in concentration, Sam didn't see the purple blaze explode from the stone and she last remembered a tug around her navel before her mind went blank.

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Sam opened her eyes and sat up from the carpeted floor with a jolt, her breathing fast and her eyes darting back and forth across the plush hotel room she was staying in for the week. She looked down at the pendant in her hand, noting the indents it had pressed into her flesh from squeezing it so hard, and looked down at her body, finding no trace of the glow around her anymore. She narrowed her eyes as she saw the vibrant purple light fade to a steady violet glow, and she rose from the floor in a fluid motion and wrote a letter to her parents using a pad of notebook paper provided by the hotel and a complementary pen as well.

She knew in her heart that all Knowledge had told her was true in a sense, even if she couldn't figure out a way how he knew all of what he said. Danny certainly wasn't clairvoyant or anything, but perhaps Knowledge was when in complete use, as he was deep inside Danny's mind. It puzzled Sam and caused her to wonder aloud to herself as she wrote about what her mind must be like. As she finished explaining to her parents that she was sorry about leaving without saying good bye in the note, Sam's thoughts floated once again to Dan Phantom, or the Darkness in Danny's mind as Knowledge put it, and wondered why Lust and Fear made up a part of that being. She could understand Rage and Greed, and even to an extent Pain, but Lust…wasn't that just attraction?

Sam hoped to whatever God was up there that she in a way wasn't strengthening Darkness by encouraging Lust. She had to admit, her and Danny had been pretty physical when they showed each other their affections, and now she was thinking that that may be a problem. She really hoped that wasn't the case, but she figured she'd be cautious until she had a chance to talk with Knowledge again, if she ever did. Sam signed her letter and looked it over to make sure it didn't make her sound like a runaway or suicidal in any way and, in a satisfied way, folded the note over and addressed it to her family.

She snuck over to her parent's room, even though she knew they weren't home yet and very quietly put the note on their bed stand where they both would be sure to find it. She hurried quietly back over towards her room, called a cab to pick her up at the hotel, and began packing her clothes in a flurry of movement. She was busy shoving her toiletries into her bag when she heard the familiar jingle of her cell phone, in the ring reserved for Tucker. She hurried over and answered it, knowing deep in her heart that Knowledge would end up being right again about Danny being in trouble; this call was proof.

"Hello?" Sam answered in a worried tone, rushing back over to finish packing her things, nearly tripping over one of her boots in the process.

"Sam?" Tucker asked her back through the phone, his voice scared and hoarse, as if he had been yelling for a long time. "Sam…I don't know how to say this but…but Danny's been…he's…"

"Mance Riley has him doesn't he?" Sam asked as she pulled her boots over her socked feet and picked up her duffel bag.

"Him and Jazz," Tucker answered, his voice cracking over the phone. "Sometime today…The police think about a few hours ago, like around--"

"Midnight?" Sam interrupted, knowing that was when her vision had first appeared.

"How did you know?" Tucker asked, disbelief in Sam's knowledge of what was happening a thousand miles away drowning out some of the worry and sadness from his voice. "Sam are you, are you outside or something?"

"I'm getting into a cab right now and heading back there," she said as she did just as she said and gave the cabbie directions. "and as to your first question, it's way to complicated to get into in a cab…let's just say that Danny's pendant that he gave me for my birthday is giving me a link into his mind and I just knew what had happened. I blacked out…and something else happened…but now I'm heading back home, do you think you can pick me up from the airport Tuck?"

"Sure Sam…" Tucker replied in a confused voice, not knowing how she was so calm about everything when he best friend and his sister were kidnapped a few hours ago…gosh, he was glad they didn't have school anymore it was so early, or late depending on how you viewed it. "Sam, aren't you worried at all? I mean, you're acting freaky calm about this and I'm over here, trying my best to not run outside and start screaming for them again and--"

"I am worried Tucker," Sam said as she watched the airport approach and felt the cab pull to a stop. Giving her money to the cabbie plus his tip as she got out of the taxi and made her way over to the ticket booth, ignoring the questions Tucker kept asking her and his aloud wonderings if she was still no the phone. "I'm still here, I'm just trying to hold my bag, buy a ticket, and talk to you at the same time…can I give you a call back once I'm up in the air?"

Tucker told her that was fine and she ended the call with a push of a button, stuffing the cellular into the front pocket of the jacket she threw on before leaving the hotel. Thanking God that it was so early in the morning, she hurried through the many stops and turns of the airport, not delayed as long as she usually was whenever she came here before. She found her specified gate, gave the very tired looking receptionist her boarding ticket, and waited on one of the chairs for her flight to start loading. She glanced at the watch strapped about her wrist, noting that she only had about ten minutes or so and glanced around to see the astonishing two other people waiting to get on a flight to Amity Park at three in the morning.

It amazed her that some people actually took flights like this in the morning…but then again, maybe they had a serious issue like she had come up too. Who was she to judge? For crying out loud, she spent most of her free time hunting ghosts with a paranormal being who she also happened to be dating…she had no room thinking about how weird other people were.

After what seemed like eternity, one of the stewardesses finally started to board passengers, and Sam hurried on board and waited for the plane to take off. Her phone gave a jingle and she looked down to see her parents calling her, probably also wanting to yell at her for leaving and heading home claiming that an emergency came up. After all, how was she supposed to explain the exact reason why she was leaving…they'd think she was crazy if she started spouting off 'nonsense' about how she was told everything by an emotion in Danny's head. She let it keep ringing, and then turned it off as the plane started to take off…she was going to get grounded for sure when her parents met back up with her.

She waited until the plane was completely up in the air before she called Tucker, making sure with one of the flight attendants it was okay to do so. She turned back on her phone and called the worried young man, who answered after only one ring.

"Sam?"

"I'm on the plane Tuck," Sam answered as she looked out the window into the early morning sky. "I should be there by eight…can you still pick me up?"

"Sure thing," Tucker replied. "But now that you're just sitting there, I think it's time you explain to me how you knew what happened and everything else that may help. I'll relay everything to the Fentons and Valerie after we're done here…what the heck is going on here Sam?"

"Okay," Sam said with a deep breath as she began to tell Tucker everything that had happened that night. "Well, you remember that necklace that Danny gave to me? Yeah, that one. Well I guess it started after that night with the fire and what happened when I kissed Danny wearing the pendant…"

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Danny opened his eyes slowly, feeling as if they were glued together, and was met with a deep darkness that hurt his eyes as much as bright light probably would. He recognized that he no longer was on the soft carpet of his house, but instead lying on his side on cold concrete that sent shivers up his spine now that he was awake. He tried to push himself off the ground to a sitting position, but he discovered that his hands were bound behind his back and he couldn't shift too much or his chest started to hurt. He thought that a few of his ribs were cracked, but he just shrugged his shoulders and focused his energy.

"I'm going ghost," he muttered in a dry voice that sounded weak even to him. However, right when the two white rings appeared around his slender waist, hot prickling bolts shot through his entire body, forcing him to curl up into a ball and gasp out in both shock and pain. He screwed his eyes together and focused on turning back to human, trying hard not to yell out as the bolts seemed to fry the nerves along his spine, and let out a sigh of relief and hurt when he succeeded in turning back to normal. He took deep, shuddering breaths as he let his shaking limbs calm down after the hell they just went through and he craned his head back painfully to see the still glowing blue ropes around his wrists before forcing his head back to its original position.

"What, what was that?" he asked himself in a quiet voice, that was all he could manage, after a few minutes passed and was only left with a dull throbbing sensation. He forced himself with his legs and shoulders to sit propped up against a wall behind him, hissing through his teeth as pain shot through his chest. He finally settled into a position that didn't cause breathing to much a problem and also helped relax his neck, which he felt had some sort of band around it.

He scanned his small prison for a second, faintly seeing a small window facing towards what he guessed was a hallway, but nothing else…just the cold floor and walls. His brain, now able to process just what sort of predicament he was in, started to think of a thousand things at once, asking itself questions that he didn't have any answers to. He let his thoughts focus on why he wasn't able to use his ghost powers, and one person immediately came to mind…the only other person other than his parents who had enough knowledge about ghosts to short-circuit his powers.

"Plasmius," he growled angrily, eyes going a shade of green before pain shot through his head. He gasped at the sudden but quick twinge and shook his head slightly, reminding him that any of his ghost abilities triggered…whatever it was to hurt him. He could just see Vlad Plasmius, also known as Vlad Masters, constructing this sort of plan…he certainly had the money and ghosts working for him to make it happen. However, Vlad had left him alone for the most part after their last battle at the beginning of senior year; Danny had come out as the definite victor, proving to Vlad his worst fears come true, a very powerful Danny who still refused to join him.

"_Are you so sure it's something to do with Vlad?"_

Danny tried to ignore the logical voice in his head, not wanting to face the other possibility if he didn't have to. "Who else could've caught me off guard like that?" he asked himself, not caring if that classified him as a crazy person at the moment.

"_Why don't you think about it? Have you even tried to recall what happened at the house before you awoke here?"_

Danny had no choice to concede to the voice, knowing full well that he hadn't tried to analyze the situation, but he did with a frown on his face. "I only remember Jazz…Jazz was yelling for me to get out…but I didn't listen to her. I can't remember anything else, it's all just a big blur."

"_Well, maybe you need some help then…just focus and it will come to you."_

Danny did as the voice instructed, something in his heart, Sam's voice maybe, telling him it would be all right. His anger at the situation calmed down and he started to feel a calm sense of detachment as the familiar scene of his home appeared in his vision as he closed his eyes. It was hazy and definitely out of focus, but he could see everything as if he was watching it from another's perspective…

"_Danny," Jazz screamed in fear as two goons in all black crashed through the front door and made their way over towards her. "Danny! Get out of here! Go find Mom and Dad, and get out of here!"_

_Danny saw himself run over towards the top of stairs and look down at the men surrounding his sister, muttering things to her that made her turquoise eyes go wide in fear. He saw and remembered his eyes flashing green in anger and then changing into ghost mode to help his sister. He flew down and hit both of the men with a green ectoplasmic blast that sent them careening into the wall, knocking both of them senseless for a minute. Three more men came in, these one with weapons of a sort, but Danny took care of them, and grabbed Jazz to pull her to safety in the kitchen._

"_Of all the days for Mom and Dad to get a ghost call, it had to be today!" Danny cursed to himself as he heard others, or the same men, moving around in the front room. After he used his ghost strength to move the fridge over to cover the doorway, he used a green beam of energy to weld it over the door way to give them both a second to think of something. He glanced back over at his terrified older sister and whispered in her ear that everything would be all right, but she just shook her head wordlessly._

"_We need to get out of here and head for help," Danny heard himself say as he grabbed Jazz's wrist and turned them both intangible and invisible. He started for the kitchen exit, but a blast of cold, powerful ectoplasmic energy hit him squarely in the chest and flying back through the walls and into the living room. He flipped up and floated in the air as he heard his sister scream and then go silent, which caused him to yell her name in worry and try to fly back towards the kitchen, only to be hit again, hard, and sent back crashing into the wall. This time when he got up, he turned himself visible again, and felt that a few of his ribs were probably cracked, but the figure who was fighting him appeared before him and he did a double-take at what he saw._

_She was obviously a ghost, her sickly pale skin and floating form giving her away instantly, but she wasn't like any other ghosts he'd ever seen. She had an ethereal appearance about her, her rainbow hair floating around her face gently and her eyes were black as night, but her form looked every inch a fighter. She wore what looked like a hunter's garb, complete with a bow and quiver strapped to her back and boots on her feet, but they seemed a mixture of clothing from different seasons. She looked like winter and all the other seasons rolled up into one, and she was regarding Danny as an insect who was in her way. He never liked that look._

_He saw the strange looking ghost, or spirit, send more cold blasts at him, and then she sent one that was so cold it felt like searing heat directly after…watching it all happen again, Danny could feel the prickles against his skin in remembrance. He saw himself fly up, gritting his teeth in pain, and the two specters exchanged spars for a minute or two before Danny saw another black clad man enter the house, a piece of cloth in his hand. He came up behind Danny and, before he could do anything to defend himself from the second attacker, the man covered his mouth with the cloth. Danny could remember the sickeningly sweet odor that the cloth had. He saw himself sway, and the heard the man whisper in his ear something that confirmed his fears._

"_I told you I'd see you soon Danny," the man said gently as Danny continued to struggle and then turned back into his human form. The man deftly snapped what looked to be a blue choker around his neck and took hold of his arms once more in a vice-like grip. "And, I always keep my promises…put him in with his sister, we only have a few more minutes before those cops realize the false alarm we sent them on."_

_Danny watched himself pass out as a huge, hulking man with thick and wild dark hair grabbed him and whispered something to Riley…something that made the man's lip curl and Danny's stomach turn. The chloroform, or whatever was on that cloth, finally took its effect on him, and Danny watched everything fade to black, faintly remembering someone yelling his name in the back of his mind before the darkness took him…_

Danny snapped his eyes back open to the present and the cold prison room he was now in, and gave a shudder at something besides the cold. He wished it was Vlad now who had captured him, or Warden, or anyone else for that matter but it wasn't. It was the one person on the entire face of the earth who Danny thought he couldn't beat, the person he promised Sam and his parents he would stay away from. Well, he had, and _he'd_ found him anyway…and what's worse, he had Jazz too.

"Jazz," Danny whispered to the darkness, as he started to force himself up to stand against the wall. "I'll get you out of here…wherever here is, and everything will be fine, just like I promised."

He started to try and wriggle his wrists against the blue ropes, feeling his skin breaking from the friction and blood dripping out slowly, but he didn't care. He'd need Danny Phantom to get out of here, not Fenton, and the only way that was going to happen was f he got rid of this junk that Riley put on him to keep him from using his powers. He wondered briefly how the hell Riley and his cronies got a hold of this kind of equipment, how they had a ghost helping them, and how they even knew about his powers in the first place; however, events started to turn for the worst and Danny's attention was turned quickly to the door in front of him that started to open, the light from the hallway straining his dark-accustomed eyes and making him squint. He heard a laugh that made his blood go cold and tried to shrink into the wall further, trying desperately to get away from the laugh and the man behind it.

"Looks like our little guest as finally decided to wake up," a booming but harsh voice said as he stepped into the room, his large frame blocking out most of the light and letting Danny see clearly the man's features and adjust to the light better. The man was huge, even by his father's standards, but was almost all muscle and didn't look at all as kind as Jack Fenton. His coarse, mangled black hair covered his head and part of his arms, giving Danny the impression of a gorilla that was on steroids, and he had cold, pitiless gray eyes that seemed to be eyeing him in a way that made Danny shiver visibly. "Your lovely sister woke up about an hour ago, but I suppose you needed you're beauty sleep eh?"

"Where. Is. She?" Danny asked in a brave voice, the mention of his sister quelling the fear he felt for this man. The man, however, just gave a cold laugh, yanked Danny up by his shirt, and slammed him against the wall so hard it made Danny see stars. The man leaned his face so close to Danny's that he could smell his putrid breath and see the rotting teeth.

"I'd worry more about yourself little boy," the behemoth hissed back in reply to Danny's question. "You're pretty sister is fine…waiting with Mance for you to wake up…but, the Boss never said that you had to go the same way."

As the man said the last word, he snapped his fist back and hit Danny in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of his diaphragm and forcing him harder into the wall with a loud crack. The man had on a feral grin and let Danny slide to the ground, taunting him to use his freakish powers and then cuffing Danny upside the head and sending the black-haired boy sprawling against the adjacent wall. The man didn't even let Danny try to get to his feet, striding over and kicking the halfa in his already injured ribs and making Danny gasp in pain.

He felt the man haul him back to lean against the wall in his pain-induced dizziness, and the man wrapped a hand around his throat chocking off his air supply. He couldn't claw at the man's hands due to their bonded state behind his back, and all he could was weakly jerk his feet and legs as the man lifted him off the ground and said to him, "This is for biting my hand you little piece of shit! I had to get stitches because of that, and the boys kept saying that I tried to take candy from a baby that bit back…I was ridiculed because of you! You humiliated me you little brat…so now I'm going to do the same thing to you…payback's a bitch kid."

Danny felt a sense of panic flow through him as he continued to choke off the ground, and before his higher brain functions could warn against it, he used his ghost powers in a survival instinct. He went intangible to slip from the man's grasp and then angling himself properly, he shot an ectoplasmic beam at him and sent him flying into a wall. He was amazed for about half a second that he used his powers in human mode to that extent, but then mind-numbing pain started to wrack his body and he collapsed to the ground with a painful cry. He continued to shake after it subsided, feeling as if every nerve was in agony, and couldn't shrink away when the beastly man walked over and picked him up roughly by the arm.

"Looks like the little boy grew a backbone," the man hissed in something that was a mixture between respect and anger, and he wiped blood off from his forehead; looks like Danny had hurt him enough when he hurled him into the wall after all. "I'll enjoy breaking that, but that's for another time. Now, let's go and see Mr. Riley…he's been expecting you for quite a long time…"

The blue ropes binding his wrists together were cut off, not that it made any difference at the moment, and two other associates each grabbed one of Danny's arms and hauled him out of his small prison. They followed the hulking man down winding corridors, and Danny tried to make a mental note of where things were in case he was offered a chance to escape one night. Danny's legs felt like jelly, and he had difficulty breathing because of his now definitely broken ribs, but after what seemed like an eternity, the large man turned into a large chamber full of what looked like fishing crates and Danny forced his head to look up and see him.

He was sitting calmly with a smirk on his gaunt face that reminded Danny so much of Vlad that he wanted nothing more than to blast that smirk right off, and was tapping the arm rest of his seat with the patience of a man who had waited a long time for something. He had his nicely groomed clothes and brown hair, the latter combed back in an elegant fashion that showed off his pale blue eyes. He was a handsome man, but there was something about his demeanor that would make even a blind man shudder, and to his left, bound and gagged was Jazz, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise fine.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of Danny's battered form and she let out a soft moan as her younger brother was dragged directly in front of Mance Riley, the homicidal man placing a perfectly charming smile on his face. Jazz felt the gag around her mouth taken off and she immediately asked in a high pitched tone, "Why did you let them hurt him! Leave him alone please…please, you promised you wouldn't hurt him!"

"I promised I wouldn't hurt him if he cooperated," Riley answered in a smooth voice that had a hint of madness in it. "It seems he was a stubborn young man…How are you Daniel? You look a little, _dead_ on your feet I daresay."

Jazz's eyes went wide at the reference, realizing that Riley knew about Danny's powers somehow, but Danny just narrowed his brilliant blue eyes and his lip curled in a feral snarl as he regarded their kidnapper. He started to answer when he felt a sharp pain hit him at the back of his head and he went crashing to the ground. Jazz cried out in worry and fear as the large man she knew as Charles 'Skeeze' Martino haul up her brother roughly, causing her eyes to tear up when she saw how much pain her little brother was in.

"Yes, definitely stubborn," Riley said as he trailed a finger down the blue-eyed boy's cheek, causing him to flinch at the touch. "But my my…how you and your sister have grown! When I last saw you Danny, you were barely tall enough to reach my stomach and you were a skinny little thing, but now look at you. You've grown up into a fine looking lad with superpowers! You even got yourself a pretty little girlfriend…she'll probably be worried about you when she finds out your in the hands of a lunatic."

"She's out of town, you'll never get to her," Danny spat back, his voice hoarse but finding strength from something inside himself. "And I swear I'll kill you if you even touch her…"

"Making threats now are we?" Riley interrupted with a cold laugh as he drew his finger away from Danny's cheek and pressed his hand against his own. "I don't really think you're in any sort of position to be doing that. Not with the Spectral Inhibitor Collar around your neck in any case…which I must say, goes wonderfully with your eyes Daniel."

Jazz's eyes went wide as she noticed the electric blue band fastened around her brother's throat, the same color that match the bands around his wrists (which he didn't notice with his hands behind his back no doubt). "Where did you get those and how do you know about Danny's powers?" she asked in a scared voice, almost ashamed that she had turned into a blubbering seven year old instead of the twenty year old woman she was.

"Oh," Riley said as he waved a hand and lifted up a glass of red wine, which had been sitting on the arm rest with the other, sipping with a refined manner that seemed impossible for a man who had spent the better part of the last twenty years in prison. "I have a mutual friend to thank for that…he seemed quite eager to tell me everything about your little brother as long as I handed him over in the end. He made no promise for you though my dear…but I don't know how I'd ever be able to hurt a beauty like yourself…"

Jazz shrank away from his charming smile and the hand he ran through her hair, almost feeling Danny's anger. Riley continued on, either unaware or not caring about Danny's reaction saying, "He even gave me a rather handy tool to ensure I'd capture young Daniel in the first place. I'm sure you don't remember her, my dear Jazzmine, but perhaps Danny does. Allow me to introduce the magnificent and powerful, Bruma."

The ghost-like thing that Danny remembered from his flashback entered the room, her myriad hair flowing behind her and her skin blue as ice in the light and her beetle black eyes staring at the scene with disinterest. It was only then that Danny noticed a similar band around her neck…one just like his. She stood beside Riley, her face expressionless and uncaring, causing the area around her to drop several degrees in temperature.

"Her name means 'winter' in Latin," Riley continued in his slimy voice. "You see, the collar around your neck has much more power over beings who are fully ghosts…they merely suppress your powers while they put hers under my complete control. My friend, I believe you call him Plasmius, captured this spirit of winter and gave her to me to use…which I have to a marvelous extent."

"She's why the weather around here as been so cold and stormy isn't she?" Jazz asked, her curiosity momentarily overriding her fear.

"Yes she is," Riley answered with a wicked smile. "And she'll be what I use to keep any of your parents lackeys or the police from getting into this place. Now, I daresay that I've kept Charles waiting long enough…you and the boy are dismissed. Have fun Martino, and don't be too rough with him…we don't want to mar that youthful face now do we?"

Jazz saw her brother start to get dragged out by the huge, beastlike man, a feral and hungry grin playing on the latter's lips. She hadn't studied human behavior for over six years to miss a predator when she saw one, and from the way that man carried himself to the way he even looked at her brother, she knew what he was. Danny obviously didn't notice because he was to busy trying to yell obscenities at Riley to notice anything else, but hadn't Riley told her something about this Martino man being humiliated by her brother? She would be damned if she let that man hurt her brother in the way he wanted to…

"Please don't Riley," Jazz said suddenly, looking over at the older man with desperateness she was hoping he would exploit. "Don't let that man hurt Danny…please don't!"

Riley regarded the older Fenton sibling for a moment with curiosity and eagerness and then signaled for Martino to stop, which the huge man did with a grumble. He turned back and took Jazz's chin in his hand, looking at her kindly and making Danny struggle weakly against his captor. "My dear girl, what would you have me do? Mr. Martino has been looking forward to this for quite a long time, and I must say, so have I. Your dear brother reminds me much too strongly of your father for my taste. Martino's…_methods_, are much more efficient to wipe that smug look off of his face, I cannot just let him off without reasonable incentive."

"Well," Jazz whispered as she locked her eyes with the cold ice blue ones, a little disgusted with what she was about to do, but her concern for her brother's well-being was completely dominating her thoughts. "I offer myself up in his place…I'm sure I'm not exactly Mr. Martino's _type_…but what about yours?"

Hearing his sister's conversation with Riley, something clicked in his brain and he knew what she was doing, what she was sacrificing herself to do. He shook his head at her, trying soundlessly to tell her not to, that he could defend himself well enough without his powers, that he would be okay…but when Riley nodded he knew he just lost.

"Jazz, don't!" he yelled out hoarsely as she looked over at him with sad, but determined eyes. "I'll be fine, don't do it! Just stay out of this, don't do what he wants you to do!"

"Danny," Jazz answered quietly with a brave smile as Riley said something to the large man about Danny not to be touched until he said so. "It's fine…it's not like it's my first time. Don't worry about me, I'm just doing my big sister duties and looking out for my little brother."

"Jazz…" Danny said weakly as he was carried out, watching her fade from view, not caring that seconds ago he could have been molested…only caring that she had agreed to do something horrible to save him from that fate. He felt numb inside with guilt as he was dragged back to his cell, and didn't even care that he was thrown back in and landed awkwardly on his wrist, possibly breaking it. He kept trying to tell the little voice inside his head that hissed it was his fault and he couldn't focus on anything else until he felt a familiar shadow settle over his huddled form.

"You got off lucky this time," Martino hissed in anger. He marched inside, cuffed Danny upside the head again and slammed into the wall like he had earlier, but this time pinning him there with his two beefy arms. He lowered his head to Danny's head and whispered threateningly in his ear with hot, rancid breath, "But your luck will only hold out so long as Riley gets along with your slut of a sister, and when he finally does get tired of her…"

Martino let the threat hang in the air, trailing a large digit down Danny's bruised arm to get the already clear message across, and let Danny drop to the floor and swept out of the room as quickly as he came in. Danny's world was plunged into darkness again, and the most he could was huddle against the wall to try and keep his hurt limbs from aching. He let the brave face he had put up when facing Riley and that huge man, Martino, fall and he let the fear wash over him and the situation he and his sister were trapped in right now. And thinking about what his sister had just done to save him from Martino, he felt something form behind his eyes he hadn't felt sense he was a little boy running away from the bushes to his mother.

"I'm sorry Jazz…" he whispered as a lone tear traced down his cheek and rested his head on his upturned knees, wrapping his sore arms around his hurt ribcage and legs. "I'm so sorry…"

"_It's your fault."_

"_It's you fault."_

"_Hold on Danny…"_

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Sam arrived at the Fenton's household a little past nine in the morning on Thursday, not caring that she was still in her pajamas or that her eyes were red and puffy from crying almost the whole flight as she and Tucker exchanged stories. She was met immediately by Valerie who engulfed her in a hug and with a fierce, albeit shaky, vow said that they'd get Danny and Jazz back. Sam let Tucker guide her into the front room, knowing her needed her as much as she needed him right now.

The front room was worse then the kitchen was, and she felt a small sense of pride when one of the police officers near her said it looked like Danny put up a fight…she knew he did from the feelings she had felt that night. She hugged Maddie and Jack Fenton, both muttering that they shouldn't have left the house that night because of a stupid ghost call. The police were comforting them saying that Riley had tricked them as well with a nearby 911 call, and that no one could be blamed for this besides Mance Riley. He had obviously been planning this for some time.

"What I can't understand," Tucker said with a sad sigh as he ran a shaking hand through his short, dark hair. "Is why they were able to capture Danny in the first place? I mean, he's got ghost powers for Christ sake! It's obvious he put up a fight, just look at this place, but how did he get caught?"

"Riley has a ghost working for him," Sam answered suddenly, remembering the pale woman who looked like winter from the vision. "I just remembered…Riley must have known about Danny's powers…"

"How though?" Valerie asked, shaking her head back and forth, her brown eyes filling with tears all over again. "Danny's so careful! How did this guy know about his powers when not even his parents do?"

All three were silent for a moment, trying to think of an answer to the question when suddenly, they all looked up at each other. They had their answer…

"VLAD!" all three said in unison, knowing that he probably had something to do with all this if it meant he could get his hands on Danny. Tucker and Valerie started to talk more animatedly than they had all morning about how it had to be him and all the proof they had, but Sam gripped her pendant. She felt the familiar pull in the back of her mind, and looked deeply into the purple gem watching it flare to life as she felt pain start to overwhelm her stomach, causing her to double over.

"Sam!" Tucker and Valerie exclaimed as she fell to the ground, but were soon distracted by the bright blaze the stone was giving off. "What the hell is that?" Tucker asked while Valerie just shook her head in confusion.

Sam stared to shake as a million different pains wracked her frame, not sure how long it lasted, but then she started to see a hallway and smelled something that smelled like rotting fish. She felt fear roll into her and rage as well, and she could see a dirty, but unhurt Jazz staring at her in shock. Everything became a big blur, but she felt a sickening terror as she caught a glimpse of a man who could only have a smile that evil if he was Riley himself, and then guilt crashed into her subconscious. She felt more pain, and her head started to spin until she felt something hot and musty blow on the side of her face. The last thing she felt before pain blocked her out again was a sickening finger trail down her arm…Danny!

"Hold on Danny!" Sam yelled out loud as she snapped her lavender eyes open to look at two very concerned teenagers in a room that didn't look like the kitchen. She steadied herself and shook the remaining vestiges of the vision from her head before she asked, "What happened? Why aren't we in the kitchen anymore?"

"You've been out for two hours Sam," Tucker said as he continued to look at her with scared green eyes. "You just came to and shouted something about holding on to Danny…we took you up to Danny's room and told everyone else that you passed out because you were scared for Danny and Jazz. Sam, what was that violet blaze coming from the pendant? You seemed to be in so much pain, we didn't know what to do…"

Sam didn't answer his question, but instead she swung her legs over the side of the bed she was lying on and looked down at the now pulsating amethyst, raising her own to stare at her two friends. "I can find Danny with this thing Tucker…he's somewhere outside of town in a fishing factory…I just saw him. Or, I saw things through him…I think I was experiencing his pain…we need to help him!"

"Well," Valerie said as she too got up and started hunting around for her ghost hunting equipment she kept in Danny's room. There was no need in her opinion to inform the Fentons that she was a ghost hunter, but she wanted her equipment there in case something came up. "Then I guess we better go get him. We should probably head out soon, go get your car Tuck and we'll meet you back here in--"

"NO!" Sam shouted suddenly, understanding something Knowledge had told her earlier that morning…_ "Trust in what your hearts tells you…"_ "We need more than just the three of us this time Val. We need the police and Danny's parents to help."

"Are you suggesting that we...?" Tucker began, looking at the dark-haired girl as if she had lost her mind, as Sam started to march out confidently and down the stairs. "Wait! Sam!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton?" Sam asked as she walked down the stairs, still aware that Tucker and Valerie were hissing at her to stop and that the police detectives were still there, including the detective who had questioned Danny the last time she was here. "I need to tell you something…something important that I think can help us find Danny and Jazz."

"What!" nearly every adult asked in shock, both Maddie and Jack bounding over towards her, hopeful expressions covering their grief-stricken faces.

"You know something Sam?" Maddie asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears for her missing children.

"Does it have something to with ghosts?" Jack asked, completely serious, but earning a look of contempt from some of the officers in the room.

"Yes and yes," Sam answered as Tucker and Valerie stopped midway on the stairs, unbelieving she was about to tell everyone here Danny's secret. "I think you both better sit down because this will come as a bit of a shock…okay. Danny…Danny's the…oh hell, I'm just going to say it. Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom…"

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**A/N: **End part one of this chapter. I had to split it up or else it was going to be way to long…it was bad enough like this! I know this was rather evil of me, but I promise to have the next one out soon!

Concerning the questions I'm going to get about Jazz's decision…I had her do what I think any sibling would do. I would do what she did in a heartbeat for my sister, so I made that decision…sorry if I made some of you squirm. Remember, please review guys! They make me feel so much better, and not that I'm bribing, but I'll try to get the next one out before the weekend in out if I get over ten reviews or something wink! Not bribing, just saying! Until next time!

Osco


	5. Part 5: Flare

**A/N: **All righty then…sorry for the wait, but I was rather busy this week and didn't have a lot of time to work with. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys seriously make my day so much better than it would be originally…and I haven't even been having bad days lately! **Warnings:** Swearing and torture is abound in this chapter; also, beware of mentions of sex, abuse, and even…attempted rape.

Sorry if this makes some of you squirm…I will do my utmost to make sure it is tastefully done. Hope you guys enjoy this one, and thanks for being patient with me!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Five: Flare**_

Sam watched the many different emotions flicker past each person's face present in the living room, waiting for the outburst to come. Both Tucker and Valerie were looking at her in anger, confusion, and seemed to be trying to think of a quick solution to cover her apparent blunder. Jack Fenton kept narrowing his eyes in concentration, as if trying to pinpoint times when he had fought Danny Phantom that the specter had seemed to act like his youngest child. Maddie Fenton's face flickered from disbelief to horror to worry and back to disbelief as she stared at Sam's calm façade and it seemed that everyone of the officers present in the room were trying hard to not laugh or look at the gothic girl like she was crazy. Then, it came…

"WHAT!" six different voices asked her at one time, causing her amethyst eyes to squint at the din.

"Danny's the ghost boy?"

"Miss, I think you may just be a little shaken up."

"I think what Sam meant was that Danny KNOWS the ghost boy…"

"That just doesn't make sense; someone can't be alive and dead at the same time…"

"We would have known if our son was the ghost-boy…why wouldn't he tell us?"

"Yeah! I mean, Phantom's saved us a bunch of times before…"

Sam watched them argue for a minute or so before she felt a familiar tug at the back of her mind, causing her attention to turn away from the chaotic discussion and to her small gemstone. It was glowing as brightly as a solar flare, signaling to her that something was amiss; as to what though, Sam couldn't say. She lifted the chain over her head and examined the glowing gem, pleading with it to show her what was wrong, and all the other noise stopped around her…she and the stone were all that mattered. She saw the purple light create shapes and scenery, painting her a picture in its strange violet glow, and she felt something speaking to her at the edge of her mind.

"_Sam…you need to hurry! We can't hold off Darkness much longer!"_

"Knowledge?" Sam asked as she saw a large building painted in front of her, a large pelican playing dice with a fish adorning the outside as the emblem. "Is that you?"

"_Yes…and Bravery as well. Riley is going to let something horrible happen to us after he gets bored with Jazz…something that I don't think even Love will have the power to fix right now."_

"I thought you told me Love was the most powerful ting inside his head?" Sam asked confusedly, winding hallways leading her through the factory and the smell of fish filling her nostrils. "And what about Jazz? Is Riley torturing her!"

"_In a way. One of the men here, a hulking man who seems to have a grudge against Danny, wants to…he wants to humiliate him, but Jazz sacrificed herself to appease Riley's longings if he ordered the man to leave Danny alone. Did you feel something through the pendant a little bit ago… something that made you sick and terrified for no apparent reason?"_

"The finger…" Sam breathed, remembering the feeling of someone tracing down her arm, and a sudden fear and guilt tearing through her. "That man wants to…that sick bastard! And Jazz…she's…"

"_Unfortunately…I'm sure you can imagine how well we are all taking this. Love is so busy trying to keep Rage and Guilt under control here…but it's not working! Despair is running rampant, and is no longer the minuscule annoyance you remember…he's now being used by Rage…Hope as practically been destroyed by the two of them and only Love keeps him safe right now. It's really like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off in here…I can't even tell you how much Fear is in control right now. You need to hurry Samantha, before things escalate out of control!_

"_Knowledge, we have to go! We need Hope to stay alive in here as much as Love, tell her what you need to and be done with it!"_

"_All right all right Bravery! Listen to me very closely Samantha…Danny is unable to use any of his ghost powers because of these blue bands Riley as strapped around him. There is one around his neck and two around the wrists…you could not imagine the pain they send through the body…you need to have people with you who have sufficiently good knowledge about how to work ghost devices. Also, Riley said something about using a seasonal ghost by the name of Bruma to keep the police and his parents out, so you must find an ally of your own to combat the powers of winter. Bruma is also being controlled by these blue bands, we think Riley mentioned something about Vlad sending them to him, so Danny's parents should know what to do._

"_We need to leave Samantha, but please hurry and remember all I told you!"_

"_Shit! Knowledge hurry…I think Martino's back!"_

"_Don't lose Hope Sammy…and don't let Danny lose his!"_

"Wait!" Sam started to say as she felt the voices fade away from her mind, like a comforting blanket ripped off in the early morning leaving you cold. She didn't start to say anything else because she found herself in front of a purple door, and, as if she had x-ray vision, she could see a very battered and very scared looking Danny huddled in the corner, breathing like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs without pain. All the purple light flared one last time, giving her a very clear picture of everything she had seen while speaking with Knowledge, and then retreated back into the gemstone, beating in tune with a heart beat that didn't mirror her own.

"Danny…" Sam whispered as everything faded back into sight, and she focused her teary lilac eyes on six very concerned people who were looking at her in both awe and fear. She gently put the necklace back around her neck, feeling the beating the stone was giving off next to her own heartbeat; she recognized it as Danny's by the way it was beating so fast. "What are you all looking at?"

"Uh, Sam sweetie," Maddie said as she stepped forward and placed a small hand on the young woman's forehead and then feeling the side of her face as if to make sure she wasn't dying. "Do you feel all right?"

"Sure I do--" Sam began before Tucker and Valerie enveloped her in a hug, cutting off her air supply by how tight they were squeezing her.

"Sam," Tucker said as he let go, letting Valerie continue to hug the confused girl. "You fell to the ground the minute that stone started to shoot out light…and then you were glowing all over…your heart stopped beating for a few minutes there. We didn't know if…if you were…"

"I'm fine I swear," Sam said as she waved a shaking hand at Maddie to get the worried woman to stop her fussing. She pushed herself off the ground, only to be met with a serious sense of vertigo and having Tucker and one of the detectives catch her as her jelly-like legs nearly gave. After steadying herself, Sam wrapped her hand around the pendant again, remembering the purple hued pictures it had painted for her, the violet map leading her to Danny.

"Sam, do you remember what you said about--?" the detective who helped steady her began to ask when Sam interrupted him.

"I know how to get to Danny," Sam whispered, earning looks of shock from everyone, also looks that seemed concerned for her sanity. "No! I really do! Don't ask right now how I know, the story is way to long, and I don't think we have a bunch of time to sit around here and wonder about my mental stability. We need to get Jazz and Danny back right? If you have no other leads, you'll be no worse off then you are right now."

All the adults looked at her and then at each other for a moment, considering her words and recognizing the truth in them. It was Maddie who finally broke the silence, asking quietly, "Is Danny really the ghost-boy?"

"Yes he is," Sam answered giving both Tucker and Valerie a look that told them to not dispute her right now. After Maddie looked over at those two and earned two more nods, solemn faces looking guilty at revealing their friend's most guarded secret, she focused her turquoise eyes back over at Sam's violet ones. Sam continued with a deep breath, hoping Danny would forgive her for what she was doing. "In ninth grade, you and Jack made the Ghost Portal, but when it didn't work, you just kind of quit. Well, Danny looked inside of it and turned it on, not aware that it was plugged in. He was hit with so much ghost energy…he passed out and when he woke up he was half ghost."

"Half dead?" Jack asked, confused that his son had even survived being hit with that much energy. He and his wife looked at each other, guilt swamping their feelings at the thought they had hunted their own son so mercilessly. Maddie gave a shuddering gasp and Jack wrapped his large warms around her, not knowing what to believe anymore…

"He didn't want to tell you because he thought you'd hate him or something," Tucker said quietly, taking Valerie's hand as she too became overwhelmed with the old guilt at having attacked Danny so ruthlessly. "I think he was going to though…things just kept getting in the way."

"Why would he think something like that?" Maddie asked as tears flowed down her cheeks. "We would never attack our own son!"

"But you attack ghosts," Sam pointed out, not unkindly, but factual nonetheless. "And he thought you wouldn't see past the fact he was half something you despise so much. And he was so unsure of his abilities at first, he thought he'd put everyone in danger if more people knew about him…as he got older, the small fear grew into some ugly monster and he couldn't…he wouldn't let himself believe that you would accept him in case you didn't."

"Jazz found out on her own," Tucker said, following Sam's lead and trying to get both Fentons and the police to understand why Danny had done what he'd done. "And after he found out, he still didn't want her to help out in case she got hurt. He thought he would be burdening unnecessary troubles on everyone. The only reason why he could never get Sam or me to leave him alone was because we were both to stubborn to leave him alone."

"But," one of the detectives asked sharply, running his hand through his gray-streaked, brown hair and his brown eyes narrowed in confusion. "What about all the damage Phantom's done to public property? Or the attack on the mayor? Or the half a dozen other things he's done over the past four years?"

"Those were all because ghosts were trying to make him a pariah in the human world," Sam snapped back at…Detective Jason Bower as his badge said. "He's not really a big do-gooder in the Ghost Zone…he keeps sending ghosts back there after they try to cause trouble here. Danny's never done anything but try to help this town, this world even, and all everyone seems to want to do in return is just tear him down! Well, what are all of you going to do when he's not here to help you all out anymore? Do you know how much he's giving up to keep helping everyone in this fucking ungrateful town! Are you seriously going to be able to live with yourself if you let him just die or be maimed or be raped because he's Phantom! You're all so stupid!"

Sam turned to run away, tears stinging her eyes at the way the police officers seemed to think it was all right to leave Danny and Jazz in the hands of that _monster_ because of a prejudice they had against Phantom. What had she been thinking when she decided to tell them about his powers? They would never understand, and every second they wasted arguing here, Danny was one step closer to being…to being hurt horribly. But, she was stopped by Jack Fenton's strong arms before she could move more than five feet. She looked up with wet eyes at the shaken, but determined look Danny's father had on his face and she let herself get control of her breathing as Jack addressed the officers.

"Sam's right," Jack said with an air of authority that he did not often display to the public. "I don't care if Danny's the ghost boy…he's still my son, and my son would never do something wrong intentionally. If I have to hunt him down be myself, I will, but I'll be damned if I let you people come along if you only intend to arrest him for wrongs he didn't he even commit."

"Don't worry Sam," Maddie said with a fierce look as she too looked over at the now shameful looking officers and detective. "We'll get Danny and Jazz back, and we won't let anything happen to them! They're our children…I don't care if they're pink, ghost, or part turkey…I'll love them no matter what."

Tucker and Valerie both nodded and voiced their agreements as well as they surrounded Sam along with the Fenton parents, both still surprised by Sam's outburst; Sam usually didn't sewar like that if she didn't have to. The policemen looked like they had just swallowed something bitter and none seemed to want to defend themselves against the petite girl's outburst. It wasn't until the slightly younger looking detective came forward and spoke did they take their gazes off the ground.

"You really care about him don't you Miss Manson?" the thirty something man asked, his green eyes and blond hair giving him a kind look on his rugged face. He waited for a small nod and then continued. "Then I promise something to you right now, I will do everything in my power to get Danny and Jazz back to you and out of Riley's hands. I won't let anything happen to Danny afterwards…but he might have to explain some things himself about the charges against him. Let me help you…I don't want anything to happen to those kids…ghost or not."

Sam considered telling the detective…Jacob Miller…to go off and screw himself along with his entire racist squad, but a voice in the back of her mind told her to listen to him. _"Trust in what your heart tells you Samantha…"_ This is what Knowledge had meant…and she wasn't about to go back on one of the things she'd said she'd learned in her speech now. She wiped away the last of her tears and gave the man a small smile with a nod of her head. The man looked relieved and then turned around and started giving orders to some of the officers, sending them scrambling like ants as he went and exchanged words with the older detective.

"We'll need some weapons," Sam said quietly as she turned back around to face the Fentons and the African American pair. "Riley has a ghost under his control and she can control winter…I think we might need to find an ally in the Ghost Zone to combat her powers…Knowledge said that we might need to."

"He talked to you again?" Tucker asked, ignoring the confused looks on the other three faces. Tucker had forgotten to tell Valerie about Sam's new connection into Danny's mind, and he hadn't thought that the Fenton parents would discover about their son's powers that very morning.

"Yes…he said that…he said something about things not going well," Sam said as she tightened her grip on the stone, feeling the calm beat come from within, letting that soothe her for the moment. "He said that the ghost's name was Bruma, and she was more of a spirit than a ghost…or maybe that was Danny…anyway, Riley is controlling her with a collar that he's also using to keep Danny from going ghost. We'll need some major equipment to hold her off…she tossed Danny around like he was a sack of potatoes, so she must be powerful."

Neither of the elder Fentons asked how the gothic girl knew all this, they simply complied with her thoughts and only focused on getting their children back. Valerie was looking at Tucker in a strange way but he said something about letting her know on the way. Sam turned around to see Maddie and Jack loading all of the officers selected by Miller to go with ectoplasmic guns and also equipping themselves with weapons, slightly excited about using all their gadgets despite the severity of the situation.

"You said you knew how to find the Fenton siblings Samantha?" Miller asked from behind her, causing her to whirl around and face the man.

"Yes," Sam said with a small smile as she looked down at the pendant and silently thanked Clockwork for giving it to Danny. "The pendant gave me a map…please don't ask how, it just does."

"I wasn't going to," Miller answered with a slight smile that reminded Sam of Danny so much. "I was serious when I said I would everything in my power to make sure Danny and Jazz return safely to you, and if that means trusting you completely, then I'm going to do that. You seem to have knowledge of what's going on here, and I'm not going to second guess your judgment."

Sam looked at the green-eyed man in a quizzical fashion, wondering why this man was putting so much faith in an eighteen year old girl and her necklace. Before she could voice a question though, he answered for her. "I'm not unknown to the workings of paranormal events," he said with a slight laugh and a shake of his head. "My mother and grandmother were actually Wiccan, and you'd be surprised what they could do with the magic in nature alone. And while I'm not Wiccan myself, I do know how to spot certain things and that necklace your wearing around your neck is pulsating with a life of its own. I believe you'll end up being the key to finally toppling Riley and his tyranny on innocents he believed wronged him in some fashion."

"You're not from Amity Park are you?" Sam asked gently as Valerie began loading up her ghost hunting equipment into the Fenton RV, talking animatedly with Jack about certain techniques and such as Maddie and Tucker loaded weapons into the vehicle outside.

"No, no I'm not," Miller answered as he gave the girl an appraising look. "observant though Manson…you'd make a good detective. No, I'm actually from a Special Victims Unit up in Chicago that's been on this case since Riley first broke out of jail with his associate, Charles Martino. They and their cronies are wanted for various sexual offences and a murder list that's through the roof. If he now thinks he's going to get these two…well, he's got another thing coming."

"Did you lose someone important, to Riley?" Sam asked cautiously, not wanting to upset the man.

"Not to Riley," Miller answered as the last of the hasty preparations were taken care of outside and an officer informed him. "But by another just like him. My sister, Margo, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered when she was nineteen…I was only fifteen at the time. The man or woman who did that to her was never convicted, and I swore that I'd do everything in my power to keep monsters like that from walking free. You actually remind me a bit of her…she was so passionate about her beliefs and a wicked tongue that could rip you to shreds."

Sam didn't know how to respond to the detective's story, so she just nodded and told him "Thank you for helping," quietly, looking at her feet. She didn't see him give her a soft look before ushering his squad out the door and into their cars, letting the Fentons know where they would be and to call them when they were ready to go. Sam looked back up at Tucker and Valerie before her, and gave them a determined smile as she hurried downstairs to the lab and readied the Spectre Speeder with Tucker's help. The Speeder was loaded with extra pairs of clothing and plenty of food should their search for this ally take a day or two.

Jack and Maddie walked down just in time to see Valerie zapping on her ghost hunting suit and climbing into the Speeder alongside Tucker and Sam. The three young adults gave encouraging waves and said they'd be back soon, Tucker yelling something about snagging a ghost before dinnertime before they disappeared into the Ghost Zone and out of sight.

Maddie sighed sadly as she leaned back into Jack and asked softly, "They'll be all right, right Jack?"

"Of course they will!" Jack said with more mirth than he had all day. He was emboldened by the thought of being able to find his children and using the Fenton Gloves, Jack-O-nine tails, Peeler, and other ghost weapons on Riley for trying to harm his family. "They're in the Spectre Speeder after all!"

"Oh Jack," Maddie said with a small smile as she continued to gaze at the swirling green portal, thinking about the three brave friends her children were blessed to have. In particular, the clever and tough Sam Manson… "She really loves Danny doesn't she honey?"

"Well, why wouldn't she? Danny is a Fenton after all! And, apparently half-ghost to boost…tell me what kind of Goth would pass that up?"

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Tucker drove the Speeder around for a good amount of time the first day before he began to get frustrated and suggested Valerie go outside for a second and try to bully a ghost to give them a direction to go. Sam protested mildly, telling the green eyed boy that it was blatant violence to try and bully someone, even if they were a ghost, but after Valerie said it would help find Danny quicker too, she gave in easily, though she did grumble a bit.

It hadn't helped and they were forced to stop for the night, or at least some rest, and continued on their second day. After a few bogus leads, one of the ghosts suggested a realm were spirits of different things resided; maybe they could find this ally there.

The three followed the advice and drove the Speeder to a different part of the Ghost Zone that seemed more solid than the rest of the ghosts' province. The ghosts, or spirits rather, here though were very reclusive and didn't seem to want to help the three at all. Sam started to grow frustrated and gripped the gemstone, a habit she had adopted to do whenever she was nervous or anxious, and sighed sadly.

Suddenly, Sam felt something in her mind tell her to go to the left, an urgent request that didn't seem to want to be ignored. "Tucker, go to the left," Sam said in a sure voice, trusting the pendant, especially after Miller had talked to her about the powerhe could sense from the stone.

"All right," Tucker answered, driving off into nothing it seemed until the Speeder entered a lush area covered with grass and trees. Sunlight seemed to shine there even though there was no sun in this land of the dead, and Sam could swear she could here water running outside. Tucker pulled the Speeder to a stop and the three teenagers pressed themselves against the glass and looked around for anything…or anyone.

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Valerie asked in an unsure tone as she lowered the visor to uncover her brown eyes.

"No idea," Tucker said as Sam shrugged, both wondering the same thing.

Sam continued to look outside even as Tucker suggested they start looking somewhere else and maybe come back later. She was just about to agree, wondering if she had misinterpreted the pendant's message, when a figure suddenly appeared before the three startled teens, glaring at them with annoyance.

The figure, now recognizable as male, had his bright yellow eyes narrowed and his flowing rainbow hair was tied back into a small ponytail at the base if his neck and then kept out of his handsome face with a small band of leather. He was garbed in what looked like a hunter's clothing, and had a long bow strapped to his back as well as a short sword belted to his side. Sam looked at him closely and was reminded instantly from his clothing to the reddish color of his skin of summer…but why of summer?

"Who dares to enter the domain of Aestas?" he boomed in a lilting voice that sounded like waves crashing on the shore or a hot summer breeze whistling through the trees. He fixed his glowing yellow eyes on the three terrified teenagers and smirked of a sudden. "Children? What humor is this? Does the mongrel truly believe that mere children will defeat me?"

"Hey!" Tucker shouted indignantly, forgetting for an instant how scared he should be. "Who are you to talk buddy! You only look a few years older; we aren't a bunch of kids you jerk!"

"Tucker!" both Sam and Valerie hissed at the young man as they saw the mirth leave the spirit's face.

"You have bravery to speak to me thus," the being answered back as he floated closely to the Speeder, almost touching the glass and causing the others to shrink back. "You intrigue me…say what it is you seek or desire and then be gone from my domain."

"I think we need your help," Sam said shakily as she rose to her feet and walked closely to the glass, only hesitating for a moment before she had suddenly remembered something vastly important.

"You are asking for my help human?" the spirit answered with a laugh as he ran a hand through his rainbow hair that was loose from the band. "Aestas does not give help to humans unless they truly warrant the aid…and after the recent betrayal inflicted upon my brethren and I, I see no reason to help you child."

"What if," Sam began, clutching the glowing pendant close to her heart, having already taken it off from around her neck. "What if I told you I know where Bruma is? Would you help us then?"

The spirit's demeanor changed instantly, any humor gone in a flash and a look of pure fury emblazoned about his entire frame and he raised his arms to strike down the Speeder, ignoring the gasps and screams coming from the children. Sam saw his arms become encased in flashing bolts that reminded her of lightning, and his yellow eyes were flaming now in hatred. "YOU DARE TO MENTION MY SISTER AS A TOKEN FOR YOUR BARGAIN! WHERE DID YOU AND YOUR MONGREL EMPLOYER TAKE HER?"

Sam didn't have anytime to react as the furious spirit brought up his lightning encased arms to strike her down, and she could hear the terrified screams behind her yelling her name. Her violet eyes widened and she felt her knees give, and in a last ditch effort to defend herself, Sam threw up her arm that held the pendant in the hand and closed here eyes at the brilliant purple light that flooded out from the tiny stone. She heard a tiny gasp and two other voices suddenly yelling something, but the only thing she seemed to be able to focus on was the immense fear flooding her entire body as pain after pain wracked her small frame. Her eyes opened for one last time and she saw five figures hovering above her, three familiar and two not, before she gave one last cry and passed out, only seeing a hulking figure leering at her before the pain enveloped her.

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Jazz sat against the far wall of the plush room Riley had given assigned as her 'prison' two days prior, trying desperately to focus on anything but the situation she and her little brother were in now. She tugged at the flimsy, but very expensive dress hanging off her frame, not caring that it barely concealed anything from sight as long as her brother was safe from Martino. It was almost night, and she knew what that meant…Riley would be coming soon and she'd have to uphold the end of the bargain she had struck with him to maintain the safety of her brother.

She didn't regret the choice she made one whit, but she knew her brother was probably beating his already battered frame up over this and she wanted nothing more than to just hug him and tell him everything would be all right. He always took on way to much responsibility in her opinion, and she knew he was blaming himself for this, even though it was not his fault in the slightest. But, that was her brother for you, to much a hero and not enough a teenager.

Her thoughts were drawn back to her present situation as the clock rang, signaling it was past eight at night now, and Riley would be on his way. He had not been overly rough with her during their trysts, but it was in no way a pleasurable experience, but she kept her mouth shut and acted as if she was having a good time. If it meant protecting her brother, she didn't care about the personal demons she knew she was going to have to deal with when this was all over. She hoped against hope that it would be over soon.

She heard a knock on the door and, with a defeated sigh, lifted her slender form off the floor and sat down on the overly large bed, crossing her legs in a lady-like fashion. She echoed a soft "Come in," after the knock happened a second time, and Mance Riley waltzed in, a cold smile playing on his lips and hungry blue eyes staring at her.

"How was your day my dear Jazzmine?" Riley asked as he clicked the door shut and walked in measured steps over towards her bed.

"Fine, how's Danny?" Jazz retorted, knowing that Riley hated it when she mentioned anything to do with her brother, a cold reminder that it was only to protect him why she was letting him do this. Her turquoise eyes locked with his ice blue ones and he let out a small chuckle as he halted directly in front of her.

"You do have spirit my dear," Riley whispered in her ear as he placed slobbery kisses on her neck in an emotionless way that merely made Jazz want to creep away from his touch. But she held fast, not letting him have the satisfaction in letting him know he scared her. "Your lovely brother is still whole. Although, I must say, if he does not start behaving like a good little boy then there won't be much of him to send this Plasmius fellow afterwards."

"What do you mean?" Jazz asked worriedly, not caring that he had disrobed and was now forcing her to lie beneath him. "Why are you still hurting him!"

"What I mean dear girl," Riley said coldly as he slowly undressed her, a little annoyed at how her concern for her brother overruled all her other emotions. "Is that, while our arrangement keeps your little brother from doing what you're doing, Martino is still not pleased that every time he attempts to…'educate' him, young Danny blasts him into the other wall. Martino cannot strike him as our agreement states, but the frequent shocks from the collar are not healthy for your brother…but enough talk."

Jazz cast herself into a small place in her mind where she could still think clearly, even though the monster on top of her was running his hands all over like a madman. What did Riley mean by Martino 'educating' Danny? Was that sick pervert actually trying to kiss or touch him? Well, no wonder Danny had been blasting him into walls, his breath smelled horrible! Jazz felt herself smile slightly at Danny's bravery and her small joke. Riley took the smile to mean something else however, so he didn't even care that Jazz lay completely unresponsive beneath him.

Jazz started to wonder about many different things, everything from thinking about her brother's and Sam's wedding someday to what she needed from the store when she got home. She had observed that focusing on small things during traumatic events could actually help reduce the aftereffects later and also helped reduce the pain of it during. Most of the time she would think about when she and Danny were little, and the family vacations they took…he had been so adorable when he was younger! He still was in a way, usually when he smiled or cocked his head when confused, but mostly people just saw him as a good-looking young man who was a bit of a goof and clumsy!

Before long, Riley finished with her and pushed himself out and off of her, his body giving off a slight odor of fish and sweat that did not smell good and made Jazz wrinkle her nose a bit. She quickly covered herself back up with the flimsy dress, but Riley lounged on the bed, seemingly content with no clothes on. Jazz didn't know why, he wasn't impressive or anything. He leered over at her and smiled coldly, sending shivers down her spine against her will.

"You truly are a beautiful creature Jazzmine," Riley drawled, letting his eyes roam her stiff and covered frame. "It is a pity that you were born to such insufficient parents…parents whose sins dragged you and your charming brother into all of this. If it were under different circumstances, I could treat a gorgeous blossom like yourself as a queen. But tell me, doesn't it bother you that you have become nothing but a whore in order to defend a weakling brother? Why put yourself through all this pain for one measly, insignificant boy?"

"You would never understand Riley because you don't know anything about helping others," Jazz replied cool and collected, not phased one bit by the man's words. "You only care about yourself and your own needs…a grade A sociopath whose way is usually done without question and without feeling. I've already told you, I really don't care what you do to me…and that's something you'll _never_ understand because you don't understand what it means to be a family. Maybe Danny's insignficant to you...but he's everything to me."

Riley's eyes narrowed and his face contorted into an expression of extreme displeasure. No matter what he called the girl and no matter what he taunted her with, she never cried, begged, or screamed for him to stop. She was like a brick wall that was impossible to break though with, every hammer and chisel he tried only chipped her face, but didn't break it. She even dared to taunt him right back, maybe not in jest, but her calm demeanor insulted him. And Mance Riley hated being insulted almost as much as…

A cold and sudden smile came to Riley's lips, a wicked gleam in his eye as he knew how to break the girl. If a hammer didn't work, you use a wrecking ball…Masters would just have to deal with damaged goods. Riley leaned over and pressed a small button to signal one of his cohorts to enter the room, one who did so in only five minutes and made the still calm Jazz Fenton go rigid with worry.

"Charles," Riley said in his oiliest voice of all, grinning like a madman at Jazz and then at the hulking excuse for a human being. "I believe that there is a very lonely young boy in one of our cells…why don't you go and keep him company for the night?"

"NO!" Jazz screeched as she lurched from the bed and tried to stop Martino from leaving, despite the massive difference in size and strength. The huge man hurled Jazz away from the door and into the adjacent wall, not caring that she smashed into a vase and toppled to the floor with a loud THUD. Jazz tried to raise her head and saw that Martino had already disappeared from the room and only Riley was left, gazing down at her pitilessly. "You said you'd leave Danny alone," Jazz rasped as she felt her vision begin to swim.

"Oh my dear Jazzmine," Riley said as he kicked her once and into the wall again, enjoying the yelp and subsequent groan she gave as her consciousness fled. "I told you he would be safe until I grew tired of you…and you finally broke so I no longer have any interest in you my dear. My only interest is revenge on your parents, and I'll go to any means necessary to achieve that!"

Riley slammed the door shut and locked it with a click, faintly heard by Jazz as she let the darkness and exhaustion take her over. She hoped she didn't have a concussion… "Oh Danny…I'm so sorry…"

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It was officially the worst three days of Danny Fenton's life, and he was including the time where he got thrown into a Christmas story and had to talk in rhyme, the time he got stuck in Warden's prison with all of his enemies, the day when Sam told him she didn't care about him the same way, and the few days he'd been dealing with an evil future version of himself bent on taking control of the world. Yep, these past few days ousted all of those events by a mile.

Danny walked around his cell slowly to keep the circulation in his legs going and to try and distract himself from the awful pain in his chest that didn't seem to go away. Part of it had to do with his two or three broken ribs, but the rest had to do with the guilt that had been eating away at him ever since he had last seen Riley and his sister. A logical part of his brain kept telling him it wasn't his fault, that he had nothing to do with what happened, but that small voice was being drowned out by another and he couldn't escape it. So, he started walking to keep his mind off of everything, not that it helped mind you.

He stopped his pacing and leaned his back against the wall, now embracing the cold steel walls instead of shunning them…it seemed like a good source of self-punishment he was able to inflict upon himself with the limited things given to him. It seemed like a thousand voices were buzzing in his head, all clambering to make themselves heard.

"_I still don't see why you're blaming yourself for this….you had no control over the situation."_

"_Because it was his fault…you caused your sister the pain she's in now and--"_

"_Are you just going to sit here and take this? Do something already and stop being such a wuss man!"_

"_KILL THEM ALL FOR THIS!"_

"_If you listen to that one…dear Lord…"_

"_What's the point of trying to do anything? You'll just end up dying or going to Vlad anyway…just accept it…"_

"_I take it back, you listen to THAT one and we are all seriously…"_

"_I am sooooo bored right now…"_

"_You know, if you team up with Riley, you could have so much power at your disposal…"_

"_Danny…it will all be…it will be all right i-if you just believe…believe in her Danny…hold on and don't give me up just yet."_

Danny's thoughts immediately went to Sam, as if the last voice compelled him to with a feeling, and he felt a sense of contentment fill his tired form as he focused his thoughts on his best friend and love. He could see her smiling face and sparkling lilac eyes, encouraging him to keep fighting and not give up just yet. He remembered the feel and taste of her skin, how smooth it felt and the slight taste of mint and lavender she always seemed to give off whenever he was near. Her hair was shiny and black as night, and she was running a delicate hand through its silky tresses while the other was gripping the amethyst necklace he gave her for her birthday. Something seemed to be screaming for his attention as he looked at the small gemstone, but before he could grasp what it was, a loud noise from outside his cell tore him away.

He was still in a slightly dreamy, relaxed state, so it took him a second to recognize the hulking figure standing in his doorway, breathing heavily as he looked at him. Unfortunately, that second was all it took for Charles Martino to grab Danny's pummeled body and hurl him across the room, slamming the door with his other beefy arm. Danny tried to regain his bearings, but he didn't have a chance as he felt a large hand encircle his throat and lift him off the ground.

"Guess what dipshit?" Martino asked as he pinned Danny's struggling form against the wall with his other arm. "The boss got tired of your little sister…"

Danny's blue eyes went wide for about two seconds and his mouth was slightly agape at the shock the huge man had sent through his system. He tried to squirm away, but before he had even comprehended what happened he felt two very large, very rough lips against his own and he wanted to scream. He wanted to hurl, he wanted to beat this man within an inch of his life, and he wanted to curl up in a ball and wish this wasn't happening and he'd wake up in his bed and tell himself not to eat any ice cream before going to bed.

But, it wasn't a nightmare, he physically couldn't swat a fly right now, and his mouth was being covered by some crazy pedophile's. Danny desperately tried to think of something to do as Martino slipped his coarse hand underneath his shirt and touched his skin, making the halfa shudder in revulsion. But he couldn't do anything! He was alone this time, no friends to back him up, no sister to sacrifice herself for him, and no parents to protect him from the evils in the world; a fact which hit him like a sledge hammer as he felt the ratty thing he called a shirt torn off him and the man started fiddling with his belt…

But he wasn't ever alone…not really. He could fight back, and he would, no matter how much it would hurt, and he knew it was going to. His countenance narrowed in anger and determination and he did the first thing that came to mind, Danny swung his knee straight up and connected to that lovely area Shakespeare quoted as "The place where the don't shine," and Martino tore himself off Danny and started to swear. He was saying something how Danny was going to regret what he just did, but the problem was Danny wasn't listening anymore. Martino looked back up and was met with two very green eyes, glowing in both rage and hatred, and he suddenly decided now would be a good chance to leave.

Before Martino even made it to the door, Danny Phantom opened his mouth and let out his Ghostly Wail, shattering all the walls around him and scaring Martino so bad the man dropped dead to the floor, only to be mourned by the fleas that resided on him, and was covered with the still crumbling walls. Danny felt a blinding pain shot through every inch of his body, but he kept the Wail going, determined to try and destroy this damnable place that was trying to kill him and his sister. The pain eventually took over however, and as soon as Danny stopped his choked off his Wail, pain crashed into his form and he collapsed to the ground heavily. He couldn't move, and he couldn't think straight, the agony of the jolts sending dots to cover his vision. Then, before anyone else in the building came running over to his wing to try and help or stop him, his eyes rolled up to the top of his head and he stopped breathing…

The last thing that entered his mind was of someone screaming his name, someone who he thought cared about him very much, and then everything was enveloped by a violent violet flare and then faded to black…

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**A/N:** Three cliffies in one chapter…wow, don't know my own strength do I? Now, if some of you are wondering why this one is slightly shorter than the rest, it's because this was originally part of the previous chapter, but after I mapped it out in my head how long this was, I figured I better split it so I did.

Please review guys and tell me what you think! It only take a minute, and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings for the rest of the day! Wow, I just sounded like a Care Bear for a second there…oh, and Kael would like to let you know he's laughing manically in the background right now. Kael's the muse for those not in the know…

REVIEW! Until next time guys!

Osco


	6. Part 6: Inferno

**A/N: **I cannot express to everyone who reviewed just how much I love all of you for the comments you all left me! You seriously had me smiling so much! And to the ones I couldn't thank privately, thanks to you as well for your reviews! Gosh, I need to start getting more sleep…

Okay, this is kind of the third-way mark of this fic…so pretty much one of three climaxes. This means this one will be action-packed, and will probably push the envelope for a 'T' rating…so I'm bumping it up. So, no warnings for y'all this time…it's an 'M' rating now so I don't have to feel bad about it! I hope you guys enjoy this one!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Six: Inferno**_

The lights were bright and dark all at once, creating a haze that seemed to glow in a grayish hue and cloud over details. Swirling jet streams of glittering lights passed him from time, brushing past his face gently before continuing their journey into nothingness. He closed his eyes and didn't reopen them, not seeing a point to looking any longer, but that didn't seem like it would matter at this point; nothing seemed like it would matter. Why open his eyes and go back when he would only be met with pain and suffering? No, he would just float here; safe from feelings and everything else that made living so hard…maybe that's what should have happened four years ago in a lab in the basement anyway.

But, he heard something calling to him anyway, and despite the fact he was refusing to respond the voice kept getting louder. It was a buzzing that refused to be ignored, a quality that reminded him of…reminded him of who? A bright violet glow erupted outside his closed eyelids, forcing them to open and acknowledge what the light was, curiosity still not defeated in his head. It hurt to even open his eyes a fraction, but he did it anyway, and was met with an unusual sight.

He was no longer floating in the gray haze, but instead lying out in an open, green field punctuated only by a large Oak tree in the center of it. He felt all of his aches and pains leave him, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position to better examine his new surroundings. A light breeze blew past his face, gently whipping his black locks to and fro and the sun was glowing brightly with great white clouds hanging around it in the clear blue sky. The field smelled like rain and…lilies?

He felt a peace overcome his senses, and he wanted nothing more than to lie back down and go to sleep, but before he could, he felt someone tug at his shirt and appear before his line of sight. Before him was a small boy, maybe five or six years old, and his black hair was a messy pile on top of his head, partially covering the deep purple color of his eyes. He smiled adorably at the youth and took off running towards the tree in the center of the never-ending field, pausing once to signal that the other should follow him.

He did, pushing himself back onto his feet and taking off after the little boy in a child-like way that made something inside him gain strength again. Whether the run took a second or years, it didn't matter to him and soon he was standing under the tree with the little boy, who looked back at him with a look that no normal five year old should have. He pointed ahead of him past the tree and showed the older boy a filed that mirrored the one he had just run through, and it made the older want to keep running. Before he could, the little boy pointed back at the direction they had come from, and showed the youth a field of decay and darkness, but punctuated by brief patches of beauty that seemed to outshine that of the glorious field. He was torn, not knowing where he wanted to go, so he looked back at the little boy with deep violet eyes, pleading for help.

"You are at the Crossroads Danny Fenton," the little boy said in an ancient voice that was full of life and knowledge. "And it is here that you must pick path you wish to tread…the decision must be yours and yours alone."

His name was Danny? He felt something stir in his memory and was certain that what the boy said was true, but why couldn't he remember until it had been spoken to him? He looked back to ask the little boy a question, but was instead met with the image of a little girl, red headed and blue-eyed, smiling back at him…she looked like someone he knew…

His gaze drifted over the smiling girl and to the fields beyond, admiring how peaceful they looked; he longed for that calm, serene place. He took a step towards it, but was halted by the girl's small hand encircling his wrist, entreating he first consider what he was doing. "Be certain that is what you want. Once chosen, you cannot rethink your decision…is that path truly what you want?"

"I…I don't know what I want," he replied, his voice sounding cracked and used up, as if he had been yelling. "It just looks so nice over there…why would I pick the other field?"

"Perhaps because of the small patches of calm therein?" the girl questioned back, her blue eyes glittering…he had blue eyes like that he recalled. "You would leave that beauty behind forever…is that truly what you want?"

The aforementioned Danny looked back over his shoulder at the dismal fields, wondering to himself why he should pick that one over the pretty one. His dimmed eyes narrowed as he looked at a small spot amidst the gray that was glowing a slight purple color, a color he recognized but couldn't place. He felt himself drawn to the patch, and began to walk away from the heavenly fields, only to have a black cloud glide in front of him and let out a horrifying scream that made him jump back.

"What about those clouds then?" Danny questioned back testily, still breathing quickly from his scare. "Those don't seem like a good thing, and that field doesn't have them!"

"You are right Danny," the girl responded, melting into a new form; a girl who looked his age with raven hair and lilac eyes. She looked so familiar…he knew this form! "But those clouds are a necessary evil we must endure to have access to the beauty sprinkled throughout. While the calm field is just as its name implies, it will not satisfy like the dark field can."

"That doesn't make sense," Danny said with a frown, and running a hand through his dark hair like a habit he recently discovered he had.

"The difficult path rarely does," the girl replied with an enigmatic smile that made something in his heart lurch. "But that's why living creatures crave it so…it's not easy and dull. It's exhilarating and mysterious! But, you need to choose which path you wish to take."

"So," Danny asked slowly, trying to muddle through the haziness of his thoughts and missing memories. "Am I dead then?"

"In a sense," the purple eyed girl responded with a laugh, as if he had just said something terribly funny. "However, you are a rare creature Danny, and you are being given a choice not many living things receive…I would take advantage of this opportunity because Death does not usually condone this event in normal circumstances."

"And that choice would be..?" Danny asked right back, still not getting what the being was hinting at.

"To walk fully into Death, or to return to Life," she replied with a serious face. "The field represented as perfect and serene is what death is usually depicted as; a calm release from the sufferings of life. The darker field that you are so averse to personifies life, a hard journey punctuated with moments that make the suffering worthwhile. Because of what you are, and all the good you have done in life, you are being given a choice as to walk away from all this and be at peace or turn back and face the upcoming trials ahead."

"I can't think of anything to keep me living," Danny responded as his head pounded in pain and he looked at the purple-eyed girl with his own dulled blue orbs. "I can't remember anything but pain…and lots of it. There's fear too…why would I want to go back to that?"

"Can you not think of anything?" the girl asked back, her eyebrow arched in a way that tormented Danny's mind in recognition. "Or anyone for that matter?"

Danny's eyes looked sharply into the other's face, a trademark smirk playing no her lips. He knew that smirk, he could see someone directing it towards him time after time, and then he could smell lilacs all around him. He closed his eyes and let the sensation wash over him, remembering rain, and lavender eyes looking at him in sadness. He remembered smooth hands clasping his own, and soft lips pressing against his, and he felt something jolt through his body that made him shiver. When he looked back up, he could still see the girl smiling back at him in a knowing way and he knew who she was referring to.

"You?" Danny asked in a whisper that could barely be heard.

"Not me exactly," the girl responded with a laugh before melting into something else. She still had a female form, but her clothing was replaced with a gray robe and her hair turned silver, matching her eyes perfectly. She didn't seem to walk, but rather floated, and she had an ethereal air about her that made Danny believe she was older than time itself. "But I was representing the girl whom you love…and who loves you in return."

"Who-what are you?" Danny asked, correcting himself after he realized that this woman wasn't a person of any kind. He could feel a buzzing in his head renew again, but he forced his attention to focus on the lady before him.

"I am called many things by mortals and immortals alike," she responded with a soft smile as she lightly touched Danny's arm to calm him down. "Some call me Future, while others call me Wryd. Some fear me as the Reaper and others worship me as a Fate…but I am not really any of those things…not truly. I am simply a spectator who is gifted with a sight of the different branches the road may take. What road is chosen in the end is not known to me…nor will it ever be. In the simplest terms, I am a choice giver called Selene, and I am giving you your choice now."

"This is so weird," Danny mumbled to himself as he turned his attention back towards the two fields before him. He still didn't know what to chose, for while he felt the truth when Selene told him he was in love with that girl, did he really think love alone was worth going back to that pain he left? "How do I know if I picked the right choice?"

"There is no right choice," Selene answered back kindly. "You must do what your heart and mind tells you…do you wish for their input?" She waited for Danny to give a small nod, willing to accept any help right now to sort through his befuddled mind, and then waved her hand in a lazy gesture behind him. "Then I suggest you listen to what they have to say…but beware! It may not all be what you want to hear child."

Danny nodded and turned his weary form around and faced several replicas of him, each decked out in different colors. He was confused for about a second when a yellow-clad being stepped forward and straightened his glasses with a crooked smile.

"Well this has been an interesting few days for us eh?" the yellow being asked Danny, who mutely nodded, not sure of how to answer seeing as he still could not remember hardly anything. "I suppose I'll take care of introductions then…I'm your Knowledge, Danny." He then turned and waved back to five other beings and spoke again to Danny, "The following colors: Gold, Black, Silver, and Crimson represent your Hope, Love, Truth, and Fear respectively. The fifth being posing as Dan Phantom is your Darkness substituting the Despair you are feeling for Fear. Now, I think that we should try and--"

"Oh be done with it already," Darkness growled in a tone that sent shudders down Danny's spine. There was something about that creature's smooth, cruel tone that haunted Danny's memory, something about a fate once avoided but not escaped entirely. "We weren't called so we could introduce ourselves and have tea now were we? Danny seems to be having a dilemma, so let's help him out…why do you want to go back Danny? Humans only will wish to destroy you, and you are already much to hurt to fight them off on your own…"

"We are not here to badger the boy Darkness," the silver colored Truth said in a neutral tone that indicated he took no side apart from the honest truth, no matter how painful. "We were called into service to give advice…save your pathetic attempt at control for another time."

"Truth as a point," Knowledge said as he smiled at Darkness, who in turn growled at both emotions in a feral way.

"Of course I have a point," Truth responded in the same monotone voice.

"Uh…" Danny finally said as he remembered he needed some type of help. "Can you…things…help me out instead of arguing?" Each of the beings nodded, Darkness after a stern glance from Selene who was watching as a mother watches her children, and Danny took a deep breath and continued with a small shake of his head. "I am going to need help after this…okay! So…how are you guys?"

"Can't complain," Knowledge said with a grin that made Danny smile despite the situation.

"Fine," Truth answered as Fear merely scowled along with Darkness.

"I've had better days," Hope answered in a melodious tone, his golden eyes and form looking exhausted but not defeated. As Danny looked at Hope, he was reminded of a magical creature from a fantasy book he used to read as a child; the slightly pointed ears and tilted eyes making him look like a fairy or elf of some kind. "And so has Love."

The black clad one, who Hope had said was Love, looked up at Danny with sad, lilac eyes and shook his head before hugging his arms around his body in a protective way that made him look small and childlike. Danny was about to ask why Love didn't respond when Hope interrupted him with an answer. "Love doesn't speak, he expresses. And now, he is expressing the pain you are in because you cannot remember the ones you love intimately, platonically, or relatively enough to realize that they are worth sticking around for."

"What good will they do for him?" Fear asked in a sniveling, but calculating tone as he fixed blood-red eyes on Danny. "For all you know, your family will turn on you once they discover your powers! And what if your human lover leaves you alone like she has before! What good does Love ever do for you?"

Love was shaking his head back and forth with a scared expression on his face, seeing the contemplative look on Danny's confused face. What powers was he talking about? He looked down at his hands and thought he saw a slight glimmer of violet pass over them, but he ignored it and turned his attention back to his emotions.

"Love is both a blessing and a curse," Truth said in a logical tone as he stared down Fear to get him away from Love. "It always has been and will continue as such. But the point Fear raises in a valid one…the potentially negative reaction by the ones you hold dear could cause further suffering and pain upon you Danny."

"Then why does he need them?" Darkness asked angrily as he flicked his cape back and revealed his white fangs in an evil grin. "You could be so powerful without your human attachments Danny…you could rule the world and then you could erase pain entirely and never worry about it again!"

"There's a good idea," Knowledge said in a sarcastic tone, drawing Danny's attention away from the dangerous thoughts floating through his head due to Darkness's words. "Are you suggesting getting rid of pain by causing the pain it would take to gain control of the world in the first place? Why doesn't he just blast the damn planet then and then everyone would be dead and wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore."

"I suppose you do have good ideas every once in awhile," Darkness sneered back with a curled lip.

"I was being sardonic Darkness…but then I wouldn't expect you to know the difference…"

"This squabbling will get us nowhere," Truth interrupted in an agitated tone, noting the very confused and distressed expression on Danny's face. "We should be helping him make a decision, not mocking each other…"

"That's easy, I can feel how strong his fear is…he should just go to his death now and save everyone a lot of trouble…"

"Are you insane? How will that solve anything?"

"Will you all focus on the matter at hand please?"

"Danny, please listen to what I need to say," the melodious voice of Hope broke in over the entire din…his quiet but enchanting tone silencing the others as they looked over at him. He was glowing much brighter than before and had a look in his eye that suggested knowing something the others did not. He walked over to where Love was sitting curled up and gently lifted the pained emotion up, whispering softly to him, "Like you helped me Love, I will help you…do you not feel it? The stone is activated."

Love suddenly smiled like a kid at Christmas and ignored the others as he grasped Hope's slender hand and walked over to stand in front of Danny. The poor black-haired boy was confused beyond all belief and after looking to Selene for guidance, turned back and indicated he would listen to what Hope needed to say.

"Thank you," Hope said with a smile and letting go of Love's hand as the latter emotion began to glow a faint color of violet. "Danny…I cannot deny everything the others have said, because they were all being truthful in a way because they all come from inside your head, but I can tell you something they all left out. You have an incredible power and use it to help people…to give them hope when you have none at all. I will admit, I'm not very strong because of all the trials you must face, all the sacrifices you have made to help people you fear and misunderstand you in exchange, but I can never die because of the love you harbor for your family, friends, and lover. There is so much for you to still experience in life…do you truly wish to give into the nightmares they are all setting before you?"

"But what if they're right?" Danny asked in a pleading tone, his blue eyes scared and unknowing of what he could be going back to. "What if the pain is too much to handle and I become something evil? What if these people I care about leave me alone? How do I know what to do?"

"You don't," Hope stated simply, glancing slightly at a now floating and shining purple Love before continuing. "You can never be sure of what will happen in life because there is no fate but what humankind makes for each of them. All you can do is trust in the people you love, fight until you have nothing left, and hope that things will turn out all right in the end…why are you so scared Danny of what life may hold?"

"I don't know," he answered, now distracted by the brightly glowing Love, recognizing that purple flame from somewhere out of a dream. Danny covered his eyes as violet light bathed his vision and when he lowered his arm, he saw a very familiar sight that screamed to be remembered. "I know you…"

"Yes you do," Hope answered as he took the small, delicate hand belonging to Love and placed it in Danny's shaking hand with a small smile on his angled face. "Now…can you honestly not say that there are some things worth suffering for? Do you feel the love this girl has for you? How can you possibly think about leaving her and losing hope?"

Danny stared back into the face of Love, a face that was completely changed save for the violet eyes. He was staring back into the face and form of Sam Manson, and she was smiling at him, begging him to fight and not give up so she could see him and hold him again. It was ground-shattering and all of his memories, good and bad, came flooding back as he stared back into the face Love had been able to adopt via the power of a small gemstone he gave as a present to Sam all those months ago.

"What about all the people he harms?" Darkness asked cruelly as Fear nodded his crimson head in agreement. "Like the family he destroyed or the ones he cannot save? He is weakened by these attachments and would serve better to be rid of them! One girl cannot possibly change human and ghost nature!"

"You would be surprised how much the depth of human emotion can accomplish," Knowledge replied with a twinkle in his yellow eyes and adjusting his glasses. "Especially in the hands of the right person…Love is a powerful thing when given a chance, as is Hope, it only takes a little bit of faith to see it."

Danny stared back at Love, blue eyes starting to glow again, and whispered softly, "Sam? How are you…why are you here? You heard everything they said about me and…and it's all true! Truth said it was…why should I come back if I'll only hurt everyone I care about? What if I hurt you?"

Love, in the form and face of Sam, didn't respond with words, but instead clasped his shaking hand with her own small one and pulled him closer. Love softly pressed her lips against his and he felt everything she felt…all of her fears, her worries, and her sorrows she knew would afflict her should he give up now. She needed him more than anything else in the world, and she was willing to face the risks to be with him…she loved him in the simplest sense of the word. He couldn't…wouldn't give in to his fear and despair just yet!

Darkness let out a snarl before fading away from the scene, swearing that he would yet claim dominance and push Danny into his 'rightful' destiny, and then Fear faded as well, grimacing as it too was defeated by something it underestimated. Knowledge gave Truth a smirk before fading as well, leaving Danny alone with his more intimate emotions for his final decision, and Truth blinked as he left, nonplussed by the events surrounding him. He only saw the truth after all; it did not matter whether it was good or bad.

Love pulled away and smiled softly as she looked over at Hope in happiness. The purple eyed emotion was enveloped in a violet glow and turned back into its original form of a black adorned Danny with the same eyes, a signal that the stone had pulled the girl back into her body and it was time for Danny to decide what path he wished to take. Selene patted Love on the shoulder and with a final cherry wave, that was reminiscent of a Love that a purple eyed girl had come across, disappeared into the gray haze like the earlier departed emotions had. It was only Danny with his Hope now as he faced Truth…and a rather entertained deity-like spirit who was smiling at the very confused young man.

"What is the choice you see before you?" Truth asked in the same no nonsense tone as he fixed his silver gaze on Danny's downcast head. "You have heard both sides, two sides that have the potential of being true, and now must decide if those risks are worth walking among your loved ones once more."

"Will I even see them again?" Danny asked forlornly as he looked back up, knowledge of his present situation flashing in his mind in a blur of rubble and leering grins.

"If you hold on and believe that you will, it will happen," Hope answered as he walked to stand beside Truth, locking eyes with Danny. "As we speak, help is on its way…the ones who care about you are coming to help with some powerful allies to free you and your sister. Hold on to that hope Danny and you will be amazed at the strength of it…"

Danny was silent as he weighed the pros and cons of each choice in his mind and when he looked back up, only Selene remained, looking at him patiently as he deliberated. He took a deep breath and took a step in the direction of his choice, halting only slightly as Selene called something out to him before he continued.

"Once you make a choice, you cannot take it back…are you positive this is what you wish for?"

"Yes…" Danny answered as he gritted his teeth and walked off into the field. Selene smiled slightly as his form disappeared from sight, enveloped by the swirling haze of the field, and nodded her head as she turned around to await the next person to enter the Crossroads.

"I will see you again soon Danny Phantom…"

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"Boss!" one of Riley's henchmen yelled over after a very stressful ten minutes. "He's breathing Boss!"

"Then get him up and move him to the medical wing," Riley answered with an agitated frown as he flicked his wrist towards what was left of the door and rubbed his temple with his free hand. "And be sure to not knock him against anything on the way…Masters won't be happy if we fuck up his little prize anymore than we have already!"

The four or so henchmen nodded as they carefully picked up the limp form of Daniel Fenton from the rubble covered ground and carried him out of Riley's sight. Riley let out a relieved sigh and let his eyes roam the ground at the damage the kid had done after Martino had attempted to molest him. To say that the room was destroyed would be an understatement, that scream the kid unleashed despite the collar had completely annihilated the room and surrounding area, looking like a small bomb had went off and vaporized the metal straight off the wall. His gaze dropped to the floor where the now decaying body of Charles Martino was laying on the floor, the neck bent at an odd angle and half of his face chewed off by that scream along with half of his body.

"It's a good thing your dead my friend," Riley muttered as he kicked the body out of his way and stormed out of the gutted room. "Otherwise you'd have to answer to me for failing at the one task you are supposed to be able to do…"

Riley's thoughts drifted to those agonizing moments between when he had heard the scream and to when his henchman informed him the kid was in fact breathing and not dead as he had feared. He did not care for the boy, and given his choice he would have been killed in his home that night, but his sponsor had an interest in the boy and if he had been killed under his supervision…Riley did not want to think about what the consequences would have been. Even so, Danny had not been breathing for a lengthy amount of time, and the pain shot through his body as he let out that mysterious scream would certainly not improved his already poor health. Riley acknowledged that Vlad Masters would be lucky if the boy ever woke up again…

He stormed into his office and picked up the phone, his body tense with dread, and dialed the number of his employer and liberator. With Martino now dead, Riley had no tool with which to break Danny in the way that Masters had requested, plus the billionaire needed to be informed of what condition the boy was now in. He waited on hold as one of the man's secretaries said she'd contact Mr. Masters, and walked absently to the medical ward.

When he arrived, he looked in anger over where the boy was lying, watching his cronies wrapping up some of the wounds the collar had caused and trying to get him to wake up. Riley looked at the boy's battered form and promised that if the boy ever woke up, he would make sure it was his personal duty to kill his sister in front of him as punishment for giving him such a headache.

"You called Riley?" the smooth, collected voice of Vlad Masters asked over the phone. "Maureen said you seemed anxious…I trust nothing unsatisfactory has occurred in a way that may void our arrangement."

"Well…" Riley answered in a cold voice as he glared at the unconscious, but still living Daniel Fenton. "A small problem as arisen concerning that kid you're so interested in…I think you better come and collect him ahead of schedule…"

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Sam could hear someone faintly calling her name and she snapped her eyes open, half expecting to see Danny staring back at her and smirking that she fell asleep during a movie. The green glow of the Ghost Zone greeted her however, and she felt two pairs of strong arms lift her up, one warm and the other cold as a ghost. She blinked her lilac eyes repeatedly a few times and gave her pounding head a few shakes to try and clear it, but only succeeded in making herself retch. This only elicited a cry of disgust from someone she recognized as Tucker.

"Aww, gross Sam!" Tucker exclaimed as started to wipe off the spewings off himself and off the floor of the Spectre Speeder. She expected him to go into a diatribe about ruining his clothes, but he just looked back up at her now open eyes and smiled at her in relief.

"Let me guess," Sam asked groggily as she put a hand to her head. "The pendant started to glow and I collapsed or something right? Did I stop breathing this time?"

"Uhh, not about the breathing part," Valerie answered from behind her as she helped steady Sam on her feet. "But you did glow violet and then your body went completely still…like you were dead or something. Then you were smiling or something and all the color came back into your body as the light vanished into that stone again and then you were just still for a bit…we were worried Sam!"

"I gathered that much," Sam groaned as she looked around to see who else was holding her arm and was surprised to see the angry spirit, Aestas, holding her arm and looking at her in concern, much different than the burning rage he had last fixated her with. "Um…why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"Oh!" Aestas boomed in a jovial voice as he shook his rainbow hair and his yellow eyes seemed to smile at her in humor. "About that, it was but a minor misunderstanding child! I thought you were connected with the being who helped kidnap my sister, Bruma, but you clearly are not if you in possession of Merlin's jewel."

"Oh…and they are?" Sam asked, indicating two other floating spirits behind Tucker.

"I am called Flora," the delicate looking maiden answered in a lilting voice that sounded like birds singing. She had light green skin and her rainbow hair was flowing with flowers weaved into it, framing her dark green eyes. She was garbed in what looked to be a hunter's dress that hung off her shoulders loosely, and she had a kind smile playing on her beautiful face, and Sam thought she smelled roses around her. "But I suppose you would know me as the Spirit of Spring."

"And I am called Messis, child," the other floating being answered, this one a male who looked similar to Aestas, just different hunter's clothing and shorter rainbow hair. His skin was tinted an orange-ish red and he had deep brown eyes, which were looking at her in a fatherly way. "Also known as the Spirit of Autumn and I believe you have met our younger brother, Aestas…Spirit of Summer. With our older sister, Bruma the Spirit of Winter, we are the Seasonal Spirits…but I'm sure you have discovered that already child."

Sam mutely nodded as she looked over at Tucker and Valerie, who was now standing beside him, eyeing the ghosts…no, spirits…suspiciously. Both nodded their heads to inform the raven haired girl that these beings were telling her the truth. Sam, still feeling light-headed and weak, could feel a hundred questions forming in her mind, but she forced herself to keep it brief…for Danny's sake.

"You know about this jewel?" Sam asked the strange looking spirits in front of her, touching the stone lightly and feeling something brush past her lips…perhaps that dream wasn't just a dream after all.

"Of course we do," Flora answered as she floated down and touched the ground with delicate feet, Messis following her lead and Aestas leaving Sam to stand beside his siblings. "It is a mystical object of the mortal plane, and there are not very many of them. The last I knew of it, a ghost by the name of Clockwork had given it to an unusual ghost being, for safe keeping. If you, a mortal, is now in possession of it, and the stone reacted that way to you, then it means you were given this as a token of love…it as different reactions to different feelings shared between the giver and the receiver."

"Yes," Messis continued in his fatherly tone as he sat down in one of the seat in the Speeder. "And because the stone was actually able to flare to life in that bright a color and also send your soul into the mind of your lover signifies the depth of affection that is shared between the two of you…who is this ghost-being that Clockwork entrusted the pendant to? It is usually forbidden for ghosts and humans to mate with each other."

"His name's Danny," Tucker answered as Sam was once more lost in thought, touching her lips with her fingers and her mind working furiously as she remembered standing underneath a large tree of some kind. "He's something that the ghosts here call a halfa…half ghost, half human."

"What!" all three of the spirits asked back, surprise written clearly on their faces.

"There is such a thing as a halfling?"

"Well, Vlad Plasmius is one too, and I think he took your sister, but Danny's a good ghost!" Valerie said quickly.

"A being that walks both planes?" Aestas asked with a confused expression on his face. "But then, why would he be interested in a human girl for a lover?"

"Hey!" Valerie answered back; mildly offended because she had dated Danny herself…there was nothing wrong with human girls! "He didn't always used to be like this…he was in an accident back in freshmen year and he was turned into a half ghost. He used to be human!"

"Interesting," Flora said to herself as Aestas and Valerie continued arguing on the worth of human girls. "He was created…I suppose he could not be a natural plane walker then."

"But he took a human for a lover…" Messis responded to his younger sister. "Their possible children would be…born partly dead…"

"Uh, can you stop calling Danny and Sam lovers?" Tucker asked as he rubbed his temple as a headache came on from the arguing…although he did admit that Valerie looked incredible sexy when she was arguing like she was. "It's kind of gross, and I don't want to imagine them having sex thank you."

Sam had remained quiet during all this, recalling in her mind why she felt her lips tingle right before she had woke up, and knowing that she had to hurry to get to Danny before anything else happened. It was starting to get ridiculous just how much trouble one boy could attract, but she knew she really couldn't help it…half-ghost hybrids came with baggage after all. She looked up to see everyone otherwise distracted and slid herself into the driver's seat, started the Speeder despite the others asking her what she was doing, and sped off towards the Fenton Portal, season spirits in tow.

"May I ask just what you think you are doing human?" Messis asked in a bewildered tone as he looked at his two shrugging siblings and then back at the two surprised humans. "You seem to be in a bit of a hurry and…"

"I need yours and your siblings help," Sam interrupted as she followed the Speeder's instructions back to the Fenton's. "I can't really explain how I know, but I just do and it has to do with this pendant…plus if you three help me out we can possibly help your sister as well."

"How do you know you need our specific help child?" Flora asked in her gentle tone. "Perhaps you can explain that for us…"

"All right," Sam gritted as she pulled a sharp turn, reminding both Valerie and Tucker why they disliked driving with the gothic girl. "I was told that to help free Danny, who is in trouble right now, we'd need help from allies…I think because of your sister. She's under the control of some psycho kidnapper who hates Danny's parents and Knowledge said she was really powerful and that we'd need to fight fire with fire…so to speak."

"Knowledge?" Flora asked in an awed voice as she exchanged glances with her siblings and then looked back at the girl who was flying towards an open green vortex. "Do you mean to say that you have actually been inside the head of your beloved child? You have, in fact, spoken with a physical representation of the emotions that dwell inside the thoughts of humans?"

"Erm, yes," Sam answered with a slight blush as she remembered she had not just spoken with them…Love had kissed her after all.

"Then who are we to argue I say!" Aestas spoke in his booming, youthful voice as he smiled encouragingly at the other two teenagers. "If Knowledge in its rarest and pure form told this girl we would to help her, then I believe we should acquiesce this once and aid the world of man!"

"Knowledge has been known to also have an inkling of foresight in the cases where mortals have encountered it alone," Flora said with a nod towards her younger brother, showing she agreed with him and then turned to the eldest of the four. "Messis, I think we should aid them…especially if it means we may retrieve our sister once more."

Messis nodded his head and pursed his lips in thought before speaking. "I also am of the same mind my siblings…especially if it means getting Bruma back in her domain where she can no longer be used as a tool by foolish humans who are not aware of they are playing with. And if this is the one who is part of both planes, it would be beneficial to us to aid him while he is young and still developing."

Tucker and Valerie glanced at each other after the spirit of Autumn's last statement, for once happy that Sam was too focused on driving the Speeder through the Portal and parking it without crashing into anything in the lab. The spirit seemed to refer to Danny like that of a dictator who had not yet taken power…and they both seemed to focus on the story Danny had told them about an evil version of himself in the future who was a dictator. But, they both shoved those troubling thoughts out of their minds as the Fenton parents came barreling down the stairs, shouting if the kids were all right and to beware of the ghosts standing behind them.

Tucker scrambled out of the Speeder immediately to explain to Jack and Maddie that these were the allies that would help them and also explaining that they weren't really ghosts. Valerie sprinted up the stairs to inform Detective Jake Miller that they were back and ready to head after Danny and Jazz, nearly tripping over one of the Fenton inventions on her way there. And finally, Sam was clutching the pendant tightly in her hand as she explained to the affronted spirits, who were angered to be called 'mere ghosts,' that Jack and Maddie didn't mean any harm and were still getting used to all the ghost business.

After a few hectic minutes of introductions and explanations, the three spirits, two adults, and two young adults all hurried up the stairs to meet up with the third young adult outside. Surprisingly, they were all able to crowd into the Fenton RV, the seasonal spirits examining the various tools and gadgets with mild interest as they were crammed into the vehicle, and waited for a few minutes until Detective Miller and his team arrived at the house. After exchanging a few comments with each other, Miller ordered his squad to follow the Fenton RV and climbed into the van as well, indicating for Sam to lead the way. She gave a nod and wrapped her tiny hands around the pendant, looking as if she was praying to an unnamed God, and then pointed in the direction for Jack to go.

She focused all her thought on finding Danny, recalling Miller's words that they were dawning on the fifth day since Danny and Jazz had been missing, whispering to Danny through the small connection the stone gave them to hold on for another day...hold on for her a bit longer.

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Jazz sat in a high backed chair, her head pounding and hands tied behind her back, and watched the men set to guard her pace around nervously. It had been five minutes or so since the loud explosion rocked the building and sent Riley scrambling out to make sure no one got into the compound; five minutes since Jazz had been able to set aside the worries and fears she had for her still knocked out brother for the hope raising in her chest. She was praying and hoping that the explosion she had heard was someone coming in to help rescue her and Danny, someone who could fight off that ghost Riley had under his control.

She wriggled slightly in her bonds, wincing from the slight pain she felt in her head and on the side of her body, the result of trying to keep Martino away from her brother. She had remembered blacking out and when she came to, she was alone in her room, but then she could hear what had woken her up…her brother's Ghostly Wail echoing down the halls to her lonely room. She had scrambled to the door and tried to force it open, knowing full well Danny would only use his powers, that one in particular, if he was in trouble, and she had started crying at the thought of Martino touching him. Even after his Wail was cut off, she continued to try and move the door, wiping sweat mingled with blood away from her forehead every so often and feeling a bruise on her ribs forming from when Riley had kicked her. Even when she had been dragged out of the room and told to examine her brother, whom had stopped breathing for a lengthy amount of time, she could only feel joy at the sight that he hadn't been raped and wasn't dead either.

Problem was, Riley informed her, after she had checked over her brother and found nothing physically life impairing, that Vlad Masters was coming to 'collect' her brother in three days time…and that she would outlive her usefulness by that point. She remembered not being afraid that he would kill her, but was terrified of the idea that Vlad was going to get a hold of her still comatose brother when he was in such a weakened state. If Danny ended up having amnesia, which she knew was a definite possibility due to the amount of time his brain was without oxygen and the pain he went through before hand, Vlad could do irreparable damage before anyone could stop him. So, she had spent the past two days locked away in a solitary room with only her worries for company. Needless to say, she had not enjoyed the time.

But, that one loud BOOM from across the compound sent a blazing hope through the young woman's body, giving her the strength that had been absent from her slim frame for forty-eight hours. She slipped her thin wrists through the rope binding her hands, having moved the bindings around enough to squeeze her hands out, and waited until her guards were too distracted before she slipped off the chair and his in a darkened corner. She heard her guards start to scramble and yell at each other that she was gone and waited until one of them strayed over towards her hiding space before she grabbed his ankle and swung him into the wall, grabbing his weapon in the process. Thanking her mother for teaching her how to defend herself properly, Jazz utilized the adrenaline and anger she felt for her brother's condition to attack and disarm her remaining two guards in quick, fluid motions.

She stared down at the three unarmed, unconscious men in wonder, astonished at what her petite form could do when she was angry and motivated, but then quickly moved her tired body out the door and sprinting down the hallway and towards her brother hopefully. The fishing factory was so complicated and twisted, she had a hard time remembering what way was what…not to mention she wasn't really at her peak condition at the moment. She hurtled down a hallway and turned sharply to the right, only to run into someone she had never been so happy to see in her entire life.

"Daddy!" Jazz hoarsely yelled as she wrapped her arms around her father's large, comforting frame as he nearly collapsed in relief that one of his children was safe now. "I'm so happy to see you Daddy! I was so scared and then I wanted to go find Danny but I got lost and now I…"

"Shh, Jazzy-pants," Jack murmured in a fatherly way as he rocked his traumatized daughter back and forth for a moment, letting her get control of her whirling emotions before continuing. "You're safe now Princess…nothing can get you now. Now come on, we need to get you out of here."

"What about Danny?" Jazz asked as she let her father practically carry her out of the hallway, somehow knowing exactly where he was going. "We can't just leave him here Daddy! He's hurt and…"

"I know Jazzy," Jack said as he helped his weakened daughter out of the building Sam had led them to over the past two days. "Your mom, Detective Miller, and Sam are heading over to help him…and we've got the police outside taking care of Riley's hooligan's as well."

"What about the winter ghost?" Jazz asked, squinting as she was met with her first sunlight in five days. She was about to ask another question when she saw three figures, all bearing the same rainbow hair as the ghost they were facing, fighting above her, distracting the winter ghost from everyone else below.

"Spirits, apparently," Jack answered excitedly; sounding like his usual self instead of so worried about his son…but that only lasted for a second. "Sam, Tucker, and Valerie went into the Ghost Zone and recruited their help…the Winter Spirit is their sister. Now come on Jazzy…let's get you cleaned up."

As Jack led his daughter away from the fight and towards the medical staff Miller had brought with him, he couldn't help but glance back in worry, hoping his wife would find their precious son. He shared a look with Jazz, and knew she was thinking the same thing…hoping that Sam would help him in a way that none of them could understand…

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Vlad Plasmius floated above the fishing factor he had told Mance Riley to hold the Fenton children until his arrival…which was supposed to be when Daniel had been broken and easy to corrupt. But now he was speeding to pick up damaged goods…that fool Riley! A perfectly good plan was put to waste because of his selfish desires, and to think of all the trouble he went through to capture an actual spirit to detain Daniel was wasted.

The evil halfa could see three other spirits, presumably the girl's family, fighting Bruma, and he knew by now that his plans were utterly ruined! He had been so close to getting a hold of Daniel, and through him, Maddie…but now everything seemed to be ruined. Plasmius looked down to see the imbecile Jack Fenton carrying his daughter out of the building, no doubt muttering consolations in her ear, but he was intrigued when he didn't see Maddie follow him, and he didn't see Daniel outside with his little friends either. Smiling in a sadistic fashion, Vlad spun away with a swish of his cloak and turned to dive into the building.

Perhaps there was hope for a part for his plan to work after all.

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Tucker and Valerie watched in awe as the three seasonal spirits fight their sister in the air above them, shouting down every now and then to take cover if one of their projectiles came hurtling to near. Valerie was busy protecting the police from the blasts with her own ecto blasts as she zoomed around on her hover-board, low to the ground to not get in the way of the spirits, and shouted every now and then to Tucker to throw up one of her many guns when her ammo went low. Tucker, while understanding the danger of the situation they were in, wanted nothing more than to barge into the fishing factory after Sam and Danny's mom…but she had warned him not to. He didn't know what kind of an affect that stone was having on one of his best friends, but she seemed to have gained some kind of foresight by holding on tight to it…and it had warned her to only bring two other people in after her…Detective Miller and Maddie Fenton.

Jack had run in after his Fenton Button caught a hold of Jazz's signal emitting from a button she must have had concealed on her clothing somehow, yelling for Tucker and Valerie to stay and help the spirits if they needed it. Tucker glanced back up to the sky as Valerie landed back down beside him, noting that Flora and Aestas seemed to have gotten a good hold on their controlled sister, and Messis was hovering over her and working on taking the collar off his sister's neck and wrists. Feeling that the season spirits had their affairs under control, the two friends looked at each other in worry, grabbing hold of the other's hand for comfort and for…something else.

Valerie let herself be embraced by a worried Tucker, and wrapped her free arm around his neck as his free hand stroked her silky, dark hair. It felt good to hold each other like they did…a comfort that they still were able to discover something hidden beneath the surface of their friendship in the in such trying times. The both knew they couldn't say anything of how they felt, their fear for their two friends still taking the forefront of their thoughts, but maybe when all of this was over.

Maybe when all of this was over, love could find another way.

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Sam hurried down the corridors of the fish factory, the stone guiding her through the many twists and turns like a map in her mind. She glanced back quickly to see that both Maddie and Detective Miller were trailing her, before continuing on, the stone clutched tightly in her palm and off her neck. She still was surprised that the stone had told her to bring those two along with her instead of Tucker and Valerie, but she decided that the sentient gemstone seemed to have a better idea of what was going on better than she did. Sam paused at a three way turn and let the bright light emitting from the pendant bathe her pale skin and dark hair and show he the correct path to take.

She took off again down the middle hallway, taking the bright flare the stone was emitting as a good sign that Danny was close. She stopped when she heard Danny's mom yell out to her and turned around to face the brown-haired woman.

"Sam," Maddie said in a tired, but not breathless voice, letting Miller catch up as well. "Are you sure this necklace is leading you the right way?"

"More sure than anything else," Sam answered back in a quiet tone, feeling a warning sign in her head in the form of a buzzing sound. "This stone connects Danny and I…I think they moved him from his room is all…"

Sam never got to finish her thought as she heard a gunshot and was forced to the ground by Detective Miller, still clutching the pendant tight in her hand so that it pricked her skin. She felt Miller get off her and attack a man to her left, hearing the two grunts as the men collided into the wall, and lifted her head to see Maddie facing off with a gaunt, crazed looking man who was taunting her as he avoided her weak punches and kicks. Sam wondered briefly why Maddie wasn't attacking this man she knew as Mance Riley with more vigor, but as she pushed herself to her feet, she noticed the limp, pale form he was holding against his body.

It was a very hurt, very shirtless, and very unconscious Danny.

"You sicko Riley," Maddie growled as she ducked out of the way of one of his clumsy punches and fired back one of her own, hitting him in the mouth. "How dare you try and harm my family! And for what? For some accident you think we caused years ago in college?"

"Payback's a bitch Madeline," Riley answered with a slur to his voice. "You and your oaf of a husband are going to learn that the hard way…I'll take away the most important things to you as payment for taking mine away…my freedom! Does it make you sad to know your little boy is so hurt in the arms of a madman Maddie? It's no wonder why Martino wanted your pretty little son so badly…he had a spirit that was absolutely delicious to smash into the ground!"

"You will never harm my family again!" Maddie yelled in anger as she ducked low to the ground and tripped Riley from the knees. The man fell to the ground with a grunt, Danny's limp form sliding away for a second. Maddie tried to make a leap for her son, but was caught around the ankle by Riley, who twisted it until he heard a crack, and then hurled Maddie away into the opposite wall.

"Wrong again," Riley replied with a maniacal laugh as he dragged Danny's body back up against his body and pressed a small blade against his neck directly above a blue band encircling it. "And you'll watch your precious son die now Madeline! Plasmius by damned! And as for your pretty daughter…I'll come for her again in my own time…"

"NO!" Sam yelled suddenly, pushing past Miller's ending scuffle and running straight towards Riley and Danny, tears stinging her vision as she felt the amulet go cold. She would be damned if she let Danny go now…even if it meant her own life. "Don't you dare hurt him!" Sam hissed as she narrowed her lilac eyes hatefully at Danny's abductor.

"Sam honey, get away!" Maddie said as she struggled up against the wall, favoring her uninjured leg.

"Manson, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Miller yelled as he whipped out his gun, now done with his fight against Riley's goons, and pointed it straight at Riley.

"Oh," Riley drawled as he eyed Sam up and down. "This is dear Danny's pretty little girlfriend eh? Well, I suppose you should be around to watch me spill this abomination's blood all over the floor… it would please me to hear your screams of despair girl!"

"You know what Riley," Sam said in a calm voice as she raised her fist holding the amulet and glared daggers at the disgusting excuse for a human being I front of her. "Screw you, you bastard!"

Before anyone could advise her against her action, or even tell her what she was about to do, a brilliant lilac and white inferno erupted from the pendant, and launched itself straight into Riley, who only had time to scream before he was engulfed by the flames. Sam felt pain rip through her frame, but she kept the blazing light going, noticing the white light protecting Maddie, Miller, and Danny as the livid violet flames consumed Riley's form entirely. Sam was happy she couldn't hear anything beyond her own screams, the look on Riley's face enough to inform her of the pain he was in. She had no idea how long she kept the flaming purple inferno going before she collapsed to her knees, gasping for air and shaking from head to toe.

She could faintly feel two arms help lift her off the ground and she looked around to see two of Miller's officers helping herself to her feet and another one lending Maddie a shoulder to lean on as she limped out of the room. Sam fixed her eyes on Detective Miller's battered, but otherwise unharmed form, as he lifted up the prone Danny from the ground and carrying him gently over towards where an officer was picking her up and walking out of the room. She gave Miller a gentle smile as she hooked her still shaking hand holding the pendant around Danny's limp one, happy that he at least was out of immediate danger.

Sam did not look back as they walked out of the building and towards her waiting friends and surrogate family, only trying to focus on the feel of Danny's skin against her own, thinking only one thought in her mind as exhaustion finally took its toll and took the girl away.

"I'll look after you Danny…I'll look after you."

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Vlad watched the entire fight between Riley and Maddie take place from above, almost interfering himself when he saw his beloved thrown into a wall and obviously hurt. He had wanted to destroy that fool Riley right then and there, but before he could, one of Daniel's little friends got to him first.

That purple conflagration that the small girl had produced from that curious little stone had amazed and frightened him, and Vlad Masters was not a man easily frightened. The girl…Samantha Manson, had been able to utterly destroy Riley with the simple sue of a tone, and she was obviously not that strong, remembering the screams of pain and how exhausted she had been when she collapsed. He could only imagine the amount of power he could wield if he had control of that stone!

And what was more interesting, was the fact that when she had grabbed Daniel's hand afterwards, the stone had glowed again, faintly but powerfully nonetheless. Vlad whirled around and started to head back home to Wisconsin, admitting that his plans had been defeated this round. But, he had other, more sinister plans forming in his twisted mind as he laughed softly to himself and flew away.

"I'll see you soon Daniel…you and you're lovely friend Samantha."

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**A/N: **Wow…I actually got this done ahead of time…I can surprise even myself it seems. Let me know what you guys think please! I loved all the feedback last chapter, let's keep it going! I know I left you at a quasi-bad cliffie, but it's not as bad as the last one right? Yeah I know…flaming pitchforks here they come…

Did you guys like Hope? I enjoyed his character a bunch…Remember, review! Until next time!

Osco


	7. Part 7: Dwindle

**A/N: **I actually was threatened with mutant cats…I guess I better not fool around eh? Thank you all so much for the feedback, you guys have no idea how much it means to me, and I really thank every single one of you from the depth of my heart…gosh that was corny.

The next couple chapters are going to be more emotionally driven than the last few…more like the first chapter really. By the by, does anyone want me to write what the original one-shot was as a challenge or something? I kind of cheated you guys of it so I feel kinda bad. I'm actually up for any sort of challenge…just please no slash…I don't think I could do it justice because I would giggle too much while trying to write it!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Seven: Dwindle**_

Sam lay in the hospital bed, completely still, for a few minutes before deciding she was going to go crazy if she wasn't released soon. The white walls, uncomfortable bed, funny smell, and fact that Danny was on the complete opposite side of the hospital all triggering her annoyance at her situation. She wasn't even that hurt…she just felt like she had been running for two days straight at top speed, nothing she couldn't handle. Unfortunately, the doctors and her parents, who had arrived later that afternoon after the exciting rescue scheme and started to fuss over her immediately, were of a like mind that she was hurt worse than she was letting on.

Damn parents and the way they can always see through their children's lies.

Sam let out another sigh as she tried to close her eyes and rest, hoping that would make time go by faster, but the comforting darkness eluded her and she only succeeded in bringing up images into her mind. She kept seeing the maniacal look in Riley's eyes as he pressed the knife to Danny's throat, kept seeing how helpless her best friend had looked covered in bruises and who knows what underneath. Sam could not remember a time where she had been more terrified of losing Danny for real, it had frozen her in place all the while during Maddie's scuffle with the madman, and only when she was prompted by the pendant did she step forward…which was a major reason why she refused to let go of the damn thing since she got to the hospital.

Sam opened her violet eyes and looked at the small gemstone of the same color in her hand, her brow narrowing in thought as she recalled how much power had come out of it when shehad used it last. The pain had hurt sure, but the power she felt surge through her was amazing…was that how Danny felt when he used his ghost powers? Sam rested her head back down on the firm hospital pillows, her currently messy black hair fanning out behind her, and couldn't help but feel entranced as she recalled the brilliant light that had shot out of the stone, protecting everyone but Riley…it had destroyed him.

"_You destroyed him,"_ a small voice told her in her ear, prompting Sam to wonder which one of her emotions was speaking with her now. Her experience in Danny's head had taught her a lot about those voices.

"I didn't mean to," Sam whispered as she looked back at the stone with sad eyes. She may have despised Riley and perhaps even hated him for what he almost did to Danny, and for what he did do, but she never intended to kill him. She hated using violence, and now she had been forced to kill a living being…maybe this was the true reason she wanted to see and hold Danny so much. He could help her sort through this feeling…

"If he ever wakes up," Sam said with a choked sob, determined to not cry again after she heard what both the doctors and Jazz say. Danny had been put through a vast amount of pain via that collar around his neck, a collar which her amulet had destroyed when it unleashed its power, and had also stopped breathing for a good amount of time afterwards. Not to mention the possibility that he may have been raped…Jazz didn't know for sure the answer and neither did Sam; the amulet wouldn't let her into his mind at the moment.

"_Now don't go and start thinking like that Manson,"_ another voice chimed in. _"You won't do him any good by giving up so easily. You convinced him not to, whether you remember or not, and I think you should at least repay the favor. He's fighting, can't you sense it, and he just needs some time."_

"I guess so," Sam told herself, twirling the pendant around her hand absently, admiring the glittering facets of the jewel. "I just miss him so much…and I'm so worried about him. What if…what if Jazz is right and he was raped there? Jazz said she sacrificed herself, but Riley sent that huge man after Danny anyway…how on Earth will he even let me near him again?"

"_He needs you as much as you need him…why doubt your love for him now? Will you be ashamed to touch him if he was in fact violated and not be able to look him in the eye?"_

"Of course not!" Sam exclaimed sort of loudly, drawing the attention of two nurses before she smiled slightly and waved to show them she was okay. "I would never leave him like that…I just found him for God sake. I'm just worried he won't let me help him heal if that did happen…he's so stubborn sometimes!"

"_Yes he is, but then again so are you. Don't take no for an answer and don't let him walk away from your help! You have a strength and power that has nothing to do with the pendant Sam…use it."_

Sam smiled slightly as she vowed to do as her, she guessed, Hope suggested that she do. Now, she just had to wait to be let out of this damn prison…fat chance in that happening she thought to herself sardonically. She had about as much of a chance of convincing her parents to let her out early as a hippo did of learning gymnastics…speak of the devil.

"Sammykins!" her mother shouted as she hurried into the room with what looked like another blanket, hot vegetable soup, and a few of her books all in her arms as her father was carrying a bunch of her CD's and her player after her. "Here, eat this soup before it gets cold, and where do want all of these things?"

"What are you guys doing?" Sam asked as she pointed to a table beside her bed so her parents could unload their arms, her eyebrow quirked quizzically as her father arranged the table and her mother draped the third blanket over Sam's slim form. "And why did you guys bring me soup?"

"Well," her mother sniffed as she smoothed out the blanket and sat her own small frame on the corner, fixing her daughter with a look. "The food here is absolutely horrid, so I brought you some of your favorite vegetable soup. And as for your things, well, your father and I didn't want you to be so bored for as long as you have to stay here."

"I know you don't really want to be here honey," her father added as he walked over and stood behind his wife to also look at his injured daughter. "Especially with Danny and Jazz nowhere near you, but you have to stay here until the doctors are sure that you're all right. Once they do, we'll go see how they both are doing okay?"

"You guys are going to let me actually go and see him?" Sam asked confused as she took a small sip of her soup, praising whatever genius decided to put Campbell's soup in a portable to-go cup. "Aren't you guys going to ground me or something? I thought for sure you were going to reinstate that restraining order from freshman year…"

"Pish-Posh," her mother tittered as she gave Sam a hopeless look and then smiled gently. "We were upset that you left of course, and we were worried sick, but we understand why you did what you did Sammykins. You were worried about Danny and Jazzmine…perhaps under the same circumstances and if I was your age, I would have done the same thing…although I would have waited for my parents to at least come home so they could come as well."

"I would have Mom," Sam whispered as she sipped more of her soup, her free hand still holding the pendant in her hand. "But…I can't explain it, I just felt like I needed to go immediately okay? I know that's kind of hard to accept, but please try."

"We do Sammy," he father said gently as he walked over towards her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, smiling down at her. "There's a lot going on here that we don't comprehend, especially from what the police tell me happened at the warehouse, and with what happened with you, but we'll respect your privacy and let you tell me when you feel ready to. All that matters now is that you're safe and so are the Fentons."

"You should be proud dear," her mother said as she rose off the bed and gave her squeezed her husband's shoulder, beaming at her proudly. "From what that young detective told me, it was because of you mainly that they were able to help those two children! And don't worry, I'm sure Danny will wake up soon…he really isn't a bad boy is he?"

"No, he really isn't Mom," Sam answered back with a small laugh at her mother's ability to still find some humor in the situation, no matter how dire it was. "But you know what? He's terrified of you and Dad! He thinks you guys still hate him because of freshman year."

"Does he really?" Sam's mother answered with a smile as her father was chuckling and shaking his head, as if recalling a time where he felt the same way as this young man vying for his daughter's affections…or who had captured them already. "That poor boy! Well, we'll just have to set him straight now won't we dear?"

Sam smiled as her parents exchanged witty banter concerning Danny, fooling her mind into believing that everything would be the same once everything was over. She hugged both of her parents as they said they were going out to get a bite to eat and would be back soon, also to call them if she wanted anything while they were out, and waved as they softly clicked her door shut. As she watched them fade from sight, she gave her head a small shake as she giggled slightly, relieved that her parents had become less over-bearing over the years. It probably had to do with the fact she didn't try to openly defy all of their wishes anymore, and that they had realized that she wasn't going to end up pregnant or arrested by the end of senior year as well. They were just a little over-protective sometimes, but she was touched by how understanding and concerned they were over the whole fiasco.

Sam gave a sigh as her mind immediately reverted back to her original musings, demanding to be heard and causing her to get nervous over Danny all over again. Sure, her parents had been hopeful and told her over and over again that Danny was fine and everything would be fine, but she could see the worry and doubt in their eyes. That, more than anything else, scared her. Her parents, and Danny's for that matter, were supposed to be fearless when it came to reassuring her that everything was fine…but how were they supposed to do that if they were just as worried as she was? Why did she even need them to tell her it would be okay?

"Because I can't believe myself," Sam whispered to herself, twirling the purple pendant in her hand again, a habit she had now admitted to having. "He was so…so battered. I've always believed that, no matter the battle or ghost, Danny would win and not be injured beyond what a Band-aid could fix…even if I was scared. But now…now he's been so terribly injured and no amount of belief in him will change the new knowledge I have…he's not invincible. He can die…and I won't be able to do anything but sit there and scream as it happens."

Sam wiped away the tear that had escaped and trailed down her pale cheek, taking in a shuddering breath as she tried to control her emotions. She was supposed to be indifferent and cool, not letting petty fears and worries trouble her exterior, but she laughed harshly as soon as the thought ran through her mind. How on Erath was someone supposed to be calm and collected when their best friend was comatose in another room of a hospital that smelled way to clean?

"This isn't a petty nightmare though," Sam kept on whispering quietly to herself. "This is cold, harsh reality and Danny got the short end of the pole this round. Me too I guess…this stupid pendant isn't exactly a picnic. I don't know…maybe if I just get some sleep I'll wake up and only have to worry about college again…"

She wished that was true…growing up sure wasn't making it easy on her right now. She rolled over gently, trying not to disturb her still tired body too much, and closed her eyes slowly…willing her pain and guilt away for at least an hour. Maybe tomorrow things would change…but she doubted it.

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Jazz flipped through the fashion magazine her nurse had left her with mindlessly, not really taking anything in and just trying to keep herself occupied. She had wanted to stay in the same room as her brother, happy to see him again even though he had not awoken, but the doctors insisted that wasn't a smart idea. After a few minutes of weak arguing, Jazz found herself in a small, cozy room a hallway down from her brother and she was furious. She didn't spend the entire time in captivity to just be put back in it when she was 'rescued' for goodness sakes! So, she flipped through the magazines and let her thoughts go blank as she waited for the frequent updates from her parents… anything to keep her mind from going back to Riley.

The doctor that had been assigned to her brother and her had started sending in a psychologist into see Jazz every so often, but the red-headed young woman never spoke a word about her experiences to the middle aged woman. Jazz was studying to be a therapist herself…she knew that at her current thought activity, she'd get nowhere and it would only give her nightmares. Jazz would wait to say anything to a therapist until her brother was awake and better…she'd start her healing after Danny was all right.

Jazz's turquoise eyes looked up at her door as it was opened and her mother walked into the room with some salad and water for her. Jazz felt herself smile and accept the food as she and her mother exchanged the usual pleasantries, knowing her mother was happy to just see her smile a little bit right now. Her father burst into the room a minute later, looking haggard and not a bit hopeful…but she asked the question anyway.

"How's Danny?" Jazz asked as she picked at her salad a bit, taking a small bite.

"The same Princess," Jack answered with a tired smile as he locked eyes with his wife's briefly and then back to his daughter. "The doctors say that his body is healing, which is a good sign…but he's still asleep."

"Oh…okay," Jazz answered as she started eating her meal with a bit more enthusiasm as her stomach informed her how hungry she was. She observed her parents as she ate, noting the whispers and worried glances they sent each other; they were really scared over their youngest child. But there was something else about how they sometimes looked over at her, as if wanting to ask her a question desperately but losing their daring every time. Jazz had a feeling it had something to do with Danny, but she was almost feeling as if she didn't want to know. Was her baby brother going to be comatose officially? Was he going to waste away the rest of his life in a hospital bed because of one man's thirst for revenge? Would his external and internal injuries take their toll on him before the hospital staff could save him?

Would her parents inform her what she had been afraid of ever since she had been dragged to see her brother after he collapsed the roof with his Wail? Riley had never answered her query, and all she had seen was an extremely beaten boy with his shirt torn off and bruises around his neck to base her opinion. Was her little brother, in fact, raped by that monster before he used his Wail?

Looking at her parents worn faces, Jazz decided that she couldn't stand it anymore! She had to know why they were acting so strange, even if it was something she didn't really want to hear. If her worst fears were confirmed, her brother would need all the help he could get.

"What do you guys want to tell me?" Jazz asked in her usual, professional tone as she set down her halfway finished salad. "I know something's wrong…and it probably has something to do with Danny. Please, just tell me what's wrong…I need to know."

Her parents looked at her uncertainly for a moment, debating whether or not they should inform her what Sam had filled them in on during the car ride to the factory. Giving a sigh, Maddie scooted closer to her daughter and grabbed her hand, fixing her own deep turquoise eyes on her daughter's.

"Jazz honey," Maddie asked with a nervous note in her voice. She glanced over and saw that her husband had one in his own face, which wasn't surprising because they were about to tell their daughter they knew about Danny's ghost powers. Their older child had been keeping it a secret for as long as Danny had…they were afraid she would be upset they had been told. "I, well, your father and I wanted to ask you something about Danny."

"Then just ask," Jazz answered with a sigh, hating this run-around approach her mother was taking. "Seriously Mom, you're driving me crazy with all those little hints and whispers. If something's…if something's wrong with Danny just tell me."

"I think you're misunderstanding us Princess," Jack replied as he stood behind Maddie and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We don't think Danny has a problem or anything because of his powers, we just want to let you know that we're okay with having a ghost in the family!"

"WHAT!" Jazz yelled as her father uttered the last thing she was expecting. Sure, her parents were scientific geniuses, but they were the least observant people on the planet, and she knew for a fact that Danny didn't tell them about his powers. How on Earth did they find out?

"Now before you get upset honey," Maddie soothed as she signaled Jack to close the door. "I want to let you know that this doesn't change anything all right? Your father and I aren't going to start experimenting on Danny just because he's half-ghost, we could never do that! Obviously, you didn't want to tell us and I'm sorry we found out before Danny could trust us enough to just tell us but…"

"How…when…who..?" Jazz asked as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, confused and bewildered her parents were talking about this so rationally…like having a half ghost son was an everyday occurrence in families.

"Sam told us the morning after you and Danny were taken sweetheart," Maddie replied instantly, almost begging with her eyes for her daughter to not be upset with her or Jack. After all, her husband and she had hunted the 'Ghost-boy' relentlessly and had sworn to destroy his corporal form a few times; Jazz had a right to be disappointed and angry at them. "She wanted us to be aware because…well, I'm still not sure on most of the details surrounding that necklace, but she felt like we needed to know."

Jazz stared at her parents for a few moments, letting her higher brain functions catch up with her rampant emotions, and then took a calming breath as she fixed her parents with a soft glare. They both looked so awful and guilty about the whole situation, it almost made her smile. "I hope you both know how much stress you put on Danny…and me because I was always trying to cover for him."

"Of course we do," Maddie answered with her head down, a crestfallen tone in her voice.

"And that you nearly fried him a few times with all those crazy inventions."

"Yes princess," Jack answered, not sounding jovial at all.

"And that no matter all those things…Danny still loves you both so much and is only afraid of you both not accepting him for what he is," Jazz finished with a sly smile and slight twinkle in her eyes…a twinkle that had been missing for to long. Jazz nearly burst out laughing at the expressions her parents had on their faces, as they went from sadness to disbelief to happiness and then back to uncertainty in a matter of seconds. "It's true…he was actually planning on telling you both the next morning, but…but things got in the way…" Jazz trailed off as tears entered her eyes again at the thought of her prone brother down the hall.

Maddie leaned forward and embraced her daughter in a comforting hug to get her under control and Jack petted his baby girl's head in a fashion he had when she was younger. It didn't take long for the family to calm down, drawing on each other's strength and guidance to reassure them that the fourth member of their family would be all right. Jazz leaned away from her mother and let her parents both kiss her gently on the forehead, wrapping herself in the warm comforter their love provided, a blanket to ward off the cold feelings of guilt and despair still writhing inside of her. They laughed and talked about trivial things for nearly an hour before both Jack and Maddie noticed the time, and said that they'd be back the next day to try and get her released.

"One thing Jazz," Maddie said as she paused in the doorway, leaning on her husband because of her twisted ankle. "Why was Danny going to tell us about his ghost half? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled about it, but it seems a bit strange for someone who's been hiding something for so long to just up and reveal his secret."

"Well," Jazz said with a wise smile as she pushed a stray lock of her coppery-red hair behind her ear. "Someone very close to him, someone he loves very much, told him that she figured Phantom deserved parents too…I suppose that simple statement finally pounded some sense into his thick skull!"

Maddie looked close to tears and pushed Jack to hurry out of the door, muttering something about not wanting to make a scene. Jack supporting his wife the whole while looked confused for a second, but then broke out into a huge grin he was so known for wearing. Jazz swore she could hear him yelling something like, "That's right! Me, Jack Fenton, am the first father of a ghost!" which, of course, caused Maddie to shush him and Jazz to giggle lightly as her door clicked shut all the way.

Jazz rested her head back on her semi-soft pillow and stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort through the jumbled mess that were her emotions. She was aware that someone didn't go through her ordeals and suddenly become fine in a day, but she was wondering why she didn't feel as awful as she thought she should. After all, she had prostituted herself for Riley's sick pleasure, and she had been knocked around a bit, but neither of those things seemed too bad when she thought of what he baby brother went through at the hand of that sadistic prick. She heaved a troubled sigh as she felt tears start to well back up behind her eyes, and she wiped them away furiously, refusing them to be victorious.

She started to feel herself start to drift off to sleep when a jingle from her cell phone alerted her and chased away all chances of sleep. Careful to not bump anything or strain her pounding head to much, Jazz groped blindly for her cell phone and allowed herself a small when she located it amongst the many items on her table stand. "Hello?" Jazz answered tiredly, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Jazz?" a worried, a male voice replied from the other end, one that Jazz knew immediately and made her smile. "Jazz…oh thank God! We were all so worried about you when we saw the story on the news! Are you okay? How's your brother…uh, Benny? Are your parents all right? Are you comfortable? Do you, and I'm being serious here Jazzy, do you need me to contact my mob contacts via my cousin and have him kill someone?"

"All right, Mikey…calm down," Jazz answered with a slight smile as she chided herself for the butterflies she had felt form in her stomach. "Yes, it's me. I'm fine. DANNY is…well he's alive…my Dad's fine and my Mom just as a sprained ankle. I'm perfectly comfortable, and I do NOT need you to contact your infamous cousin Vinny to off someone! Wow Mikey…you sound really worried about everything."

"Well, of course I was worried!" Mikey said back in his deep baritone voice, a slight hint of nervousness and embarrassment echoing through the phone. Jazz felt her face blush at how concerned he was about her, and sure that if she could see his Italian face he would be blushing as well. "I mean…you were kidnapped Jazzy! I was…and then you were…and I didn't know…I was just worried so much Jazz! I was about ready to pull out my hair over this…"

"I'm fine now," Jazz answered back softly, touched that her fellow psychology major crush was so worried about her. "I promise…I still need to heal and stuff but, I'll be fine. I'm just worried about my brother…DANNY not Benny you dork!"

"Well now I feel like an ass," Mikey groaned back in a depressed voice, which only caused Jazz to giggle lightly at the image she had of him slapping a hand over his chocolate eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry Jazzy…how's he doing?"

"Not good unfortunately," Jazz said with a choked sob, trying to desperately control her emotions. "If you think I'm stubborn…he's about ten times worse and…he was so battered. He's in a coma right now…had been for about five days, two here in the hospital…I'm so worried about him Mikey!"

"I'm coming down there," he replied without a moment's hesitation, surprising the red-head. "And don't bother arguing…you need Bearbert and some good New York hot cocoa right now, and you're going to get damn it! I'll hop on the first flight to Amity Park in the morning and you can bet I'll be there by tomorrow night! I won't take no for an answer!"

"Okay…" Jazz whispered into the receiver, a different kind of warmth washing away all that Riley had done to her in the past week. "I'd…I'd like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

As Jazz continued talking with one of her good friends and possible crush, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, whisking her away from all the drama going on in her life right now. For just a moment in time, she felt like everything was going to be all right…come what may…

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Both Sam and Jazz were released from the hospital three days later, both happy to be out and back home, but both still worried about Danny…who was now going on a week today. Sam had tried to convince her parents to let her go and visit him for more than just an hour a day, but they both adamantly refused. They looked sad about their decision when her amethyst eyes filled with crystal tears, but they both stated that it would be unhealthy for her to spend so much time there, waiting for a boy to wake up. Part of her mind knew her parents were right, but that didn't stop her from acting sullen and depressed about her boyfriend's condition.

The weather had cleared up once more, now that Bruma wasn't chained here, and it was a clear, warm summer night and she could see some of the brighter stars peeking out through the city-lights. Sam sat on the windowsill, one leg curled up under her and the other dangling outside, and she wrote down her thoughts in the form of a poem, a hobby she had picked up from reading so much literature.

_That Night_

_I will never forget that night._

_All the tears, the anger, the fright._

_My mind spinning, tears running from my eyes._

_My anger building, wishing they were only lies._

_As I lay on my bed, eyes puffy and red,_

_Can I really believe what everyone said?_

_I want to, but can't bring myself to,_

_If only this was easy! There is nothing I can do!_

Sam paused for a second to collect her thoughts, letting her subconscious and emotions guide her pen in a haunting melody. She thought she felt something brush past her face for a moment, but chalked it up to wishful thinking before turning back to her outlet…her release.

_My mind is scrambled, too confused to think,_

_My eyes turn to fire everytime I blink._

_I close my eyes, and drift into a dream,_

_But all I see is that night, I wake up and start to scream._

_I will never forget that night._

_All the tears, the anger, the fright._

She felt tears sting her eyes as her mind drifted back to Danny's healing, but broken form in the hospital bed. His inky black hair had lost some of its beautiful shine, and his skin looked even paler than when he was a ghost. His lips, which were like silk once upon a time, were cracked and scabbed, and his perfect skin was marred by black and blue. She didn't care though, he was still, and would always be, beautiful to her…no matter what.

_My mind spinning, tears running from my eyes._

_My anger building, wishing they were only lies._

_If only that night never came._

_If only my life was still the same…_

Sam set down her pen in the small, blue notebook she used as her doodle pad and journal and looked up at the crescent moon with round eyes. She wasn't used to writing such depressing work, opting instead to write about unrequited love and hidden passions, but her muse seemed to have other plans for her. She wrapped one of her delicate hands around the pendant still hanging around her neck, refusing to take it off even when she showered, and wished she cold feel Danny through it again. But she couldn't…the stone was unresponsive in her hand and she couldn't figure out why. Maybe she should try contacting the emotions again and asking for their advice…

"Samantha Manson," a booming voice said from behind her, scaring her so bad she whirled about and yelped loudly. She was unbalanced and this caused her to fall off her windowsill and onto her carpeted floor, which elicited another cry. Sam shook her head lightly as she pushed her silky black hair out of her eyes to acknowledge the being who spoke her name. When she looked up however, she noticed not one, but four, beings looking down at her kindly…four beings she knew very well.

"Aestas?" Sam asked as she felt the summer spirit's warm, strong hands lift her off the ground, smiling all the while in his youthful way. "What are you…what are you all doing here?"

"Why, we are here to help you with your dilemma child," Flora responded in her kind way taking a step towards the confused girl. "We know of the pain you are in due to your lover's ailment, and wish to help you."

"Uh…" Sam said with a nervous laugh, blushing a deep crimson from head to toe. "Danny and I are together, but we aren't lovers…we haven't even, well, you know."

"Had sex?" the wintry spirit that Sam knew as Bruma replied with a small smirk, not bothering to be anything other than blunt. "Child, it does not matter whether you have or not, you want to and will yes?"

"Uh…" Sam muttered as she continued to blush. She gave a small squeak and nodded her head slightly, not trusting herself to speak properly. She wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear rather than face the knowing smiles and small chuckles that all the spirits save one were giving her.

"Then, I do not see a problem referring to you and him as such," Bruma replied with a wave of hand, the only one not joking. She fixed her black eyes with Sam's lilac ones and brushed some of her rainbow hair out of her blue-skinned face. "I know you wish to help the hybrid, and we wish to help you…but most of it will have to come from you girl…you have control of the power to bring him back."

Before Sam could voice a question as to what that power was when Messis informed her. "Your pendant child…the one given to you by the hybrid. If you focus enough on its power, you will call it forth and will be able to unleash its abilities to wake the sleeping child."

"But, the pendants not working!" Sam yelled in frustration, angry that the seasonal spirits didn't think she'd already tried that. "I've tried getting it to work and it doesn't respond!"

"Are you sure girl?" Bruma answered with an intense gaze, her cold demeanor shaking Sam slightly. "You have only ever called the power of that pendant once…all the other times it was done unconsciously by Danny." Sam marveled at the fact that the winter spirit had called Danny by his name, but then focused on what the spirit was telling her once more. "You have merely felt the repercussions of that power, but you only truly used it when you were fighting Riley…you need to summon it child, it will not just come to you."

"I understand if you are confused Samantha," Flora said in her gentle tones, her dark green eyes smiling at her as well. "But your lover is incapacitated and cannot summon the power…only you can. I have faith in you though, and I trust you were the correct choice for the amulet in this century…you are the ones we have been waiting for."

"What?" Sam asked in a bewildered tone, but she was utterly ignored by all except one.

"Yes!" Aestas burst out in his booming voice, clapping his hands as part of the gesture. "I too believe she and the hybrid are those of who the ancients spoke of! She seems to have plenty of fire in her!"

"And she has a good heart…she will make a good mother," Messis added on, making Sam's eyes go wide

"Will you be willing to face hardships girl?" Bruma asked, narrowing her hawk-like eyes at the befuddled girl. "For this hybrid, will you be willing to help him through the trials ahead, even at the cost of your dreams or desires? The journey will not be smooth girl, are you daring enough to undertake it?"

"Yes," Sam answered fiercely, locking her own eyes in a gaze with the spirits. "I would…because Danny would do the same, IS doing the same for so many others! It's the least I can do…"

Bruma looked at Sam passively for a moment while the other spirits looked at her appraisingly. Neither woman dropped their intense gaze for awhile, but then Bruma gave the dark-haired girl a small smirk of approval. The blue-skinned spirit nodded her head and stretched out her hand for the human girl to take, which Sam did after a slight hesitation. Sam felt coldness jolt through her, but as the other season spirits surrounded her, the coldness blended with each of the other and she felt only a tingle…like magic.

The surroundings began to blur, and when she opened her eyes again, Sam found herself in the all too familiar hospital room. She looked up to see the four spirits still with her, somehow accepting a guardianship of Danny like she had four years ago, and smiled at them gratefully. Only Bruma stared back at her passively while her siblings grinned back, and Sam turned back around and walked over towards the occupied bed.

Sam pulled back the curtain and gazed at Danny's limp form, feeling tears form behind her eyes, but she forced them down and strode over to his side determinedly. She stopped right at his bedrail and asked in a loud voice as she held the pendant, "Danny? Danny…can you hear me?"

When he didn't respond, like she knew he wouldn't, she narrowed her lilac eyes and crawled into his bed, positioning her body over his so that her knees were grasping his hips and her hands rested on either side of his face. She tried whispering his name in his ear, calling forth some of the amulets power, but that didn't work either…but she had tried that too she remembered. She pushed herself back up and just looked at his sleeping face, not caring if the seasons were watching her at the moment.

"Come on Danny," Sam asked in a playful tone, leaning down so that her forehead was touching his…he was warm. "This is killing me…and you're family to boot. It's killing me to be away from you. I don't want anymore goodbyes…and I'm done with all the hellos. I just want to talk with you like I do in my fantasies again, or just bear witness to your beautiful awkward silences. I promise you Danny…I'll protect you when you wake up…I will. Don't say it's all right to be away from me too…I was wrong to think this had to be easy. It won't ever be, and I don't mind swimming in my own contradiction if you're with me…come back to me Danny!"

Sam leaned down and pressed her soft lips against his, gasping at how warm they were. She was too lost in his taste and his touch to notice the pendant flare a violet color and wash over the room, signaling the spirits to leave, which they did after a silent vow to the hybrid spirit to help protect him and his town until he regained what he had lost. Sam felt Danny move his arm underneath her and she lifted her head off his lips and watched with a smile as his started to flutter open. After waiting so long, he was finally waking up! She didn't move off of his bed, watching his brilliant blue eyes crack open and look around at his surroundings with a groan.

"Are you all right Danny?" Sam asked in a hushed whisper as his blue eyes made their way back up to her violet ones, and the purple light faded around them. He looked at her in a puzzled way and nodded his head slowly as if he wasn't really sure of answering her. "Danny?"

He shook his head and she hopped off him with a worried look, asking in a scared voice, "Oh, did I hurt you Danny? I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

He continued to look at her as if she was a ghost, and then, with a shaky voice, replied with words that made Sam's heart plummet. "I-I'm fine…but who are you and why do you keep calling me Danny?"

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**A/N: **Okay, I know that's cruel but I'm sick as a dog and can't write anymore…my head hurts to much and my stomach feels like it's eating itself…blagh! So sorry if the latter portion of this chapter sucks…I really don't feel good, but I felt so bad about making you guys wait already…

Did you guys like the splattering of romance for Jazz? Poor girl, I figured she needed some lovin' too! And as for Tuck and Val…sorry about their absence but they'll be in the next chapter for sure! And sorry about the 'My cousin Vinny' reference...I LOVE tat movie and I thought it fit.

Did you guys like the poem? My sister actually gave me permission to use it and I thought it fit so well! I'm not much of a poet, but my sister sure is! I thought it went well with what Sam was feeling at the time yes? Oh, and if anyone can tell me where Sam's main speech to Danny at the end (when she's straddling him !) is from...a song mind you...you'll get major kudo points!

Again, review guys! They seriously make me feel so much better when I read them! I am never going so long without sleep again…damn you Kael…effing slave driver I tell you!

Osco


	8. Part 8: Extinguish

**A/N: **So sorry this is so late guys! Life kind of caught up with me and school seems to think that having all their midterms at once is healthy for the students. Whatcha gonna do eh? I feel horrible about this, but I cut this chapter in half so I could get something out. What that means is that this one will be a bit shorter, but the next one will be longer and I will get that one out before I head off for spring break.

Thanks for all the awesome reviews guys! You guys are the sunshine on my rainy days! That sounded stupid but whatever…I'm tired so give me a break.

I hope you guys don't sick armies of mutant animals or threaten bodily harm after this one…I promise to get the next one out before next Monday! Cheers and happy readings!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Chapter Eight: Extinguish**_

Tucker tripped on a raised section of concrete as he barreled down the street after a certain red-clad huntress, nearly losing his footing and eating it on the pavement, but managed to just stumble ungracefully before continuing onward. His breaths were coming in short, painful gasps and he could feel a burning sensation spread through his legs, but he kept running forward until he arrived in the park where Valerie Grey was engaged with a rather troublesome ghost. He skidded to a stop and reached back into the backpack full of Fenton ghost paraphernalia to fish out the Fenton Thermos as he saw the dark-haired girl finishing up beating down the shifty looking specter that had appeared as the pair walked over to the Fenton household.

Tucker opened up the Thermos as he heard Valerie shout out his name and sucked the ghost into the cylindrical prison, its last shriek making the young man wince before he could shut the lid completely. He reached up and wiped away some of the sweat off his brow and flashed the ghost huntress a bright smile as she landed and, with a push of a button, changed out of her hunting suit and back into her blue skirt and white shirt she had been adorned in before. She smiled back at him, and Tucker couldn't help but admire how pretty the femme fatale looked as she reached back and pulled her brown hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck. Tucker shook his head and tore his gaze away as he shoved the Thermos back into his bag, willing those thoughts out of his head for a time.

'I can't think about that right now…' Tucker thought to himself as he directed his green eyes back to look into Valerie's chocolate gaze with a sad look disguised by a smile on his face. 'Maybe after everything settles down and goes back to normal. Danny needs our help right now…I can't be distracted by this…attraction…towards Val. But, she does look incredible when she's up there and fighting…and that suit certainly don't leave anything to the imagina—NO! Bad, bad Tucker! No thoughts like that…oh hell, I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this up too much longer…'

"Tucker?" Valerie asked the dazed looking boy with an amused look, noticing that he had been staring at her with a dopey look on his face for a few moments. "You okay? You've been staring at me for a couple minutes…your head still attached?"

"Wh-What?" Tucker stuttered as he tore his gaze away and looked up into the brown eyes tat could look right through you. "S-sorry Val! I guess I kind of spaced for a second there…hehe! I think I'm still here…mostly," he trailed off with the last bit barely audible to him.

"Sure," Valerie answered with a knowing smirk on her face. She kept her cool composure on her face but inside she was crowing in victory. Somewhere between her break-up with Danny and his subsequent kidnapping she had started to harbor feeling for a certain techno-geek that were not fostered in an attempt to somehow undermine the 'Ghost-boy.' It also helped that he underwent a growth spurt halfway through junior year and now towered over her by a good five inches or so…not that she still couldn't kick his butt if she wanted to though! And now, it seemed that Tucker was returning her feelings after waiting for so long!

Too bad it came at the least opportune moment…

Valerie and Tucker both came to a mutual understanding while waiting for Danny to wake up in the hospital that they needed to focus on the Fenton siblings and helping them before anything happened between them. Unfortunately, Danny's case became a bit more…complicated…and now after three weeks of denying feelings and resisting urges that any normal young adult experiences, that mutual attraction had morphed into something entirely different. Desire. It was becoming increasingly hard for the two friends to deny what their bodies were screaming for…and all the ghost-hunting they had adopted in Danny's absence certainly didn't help them either. It was a rather irking situation to be frank, for both parties.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Valerie finally broke the unbearable staring and shy smiling with a simple statement. "Maybe we should head back over towards Danny's."

"Yeah," Tucker answered back, mention of Danny shaking him out of his fantasy world and back into the real one. "They're probably wondering where we are…we were supposed to get there twenty minutes ago. I bet Jazz and her parents are worrying over us per usual."

Neither Valerie nor Tucker spoke aloud the admission from who would be worried about them…mainly because it's hard when someone you care about and have known for so long suddenly thinks of you as strangers. Tucker was taking it especially hard, and Valerie could see why and didn't take offence when he had told her it was going to take him more time than her to get used to Danny's condition. When you're best friend of thirteen years doesn't recognize you or let you near him it can be distressing on a person's psyche.

"Not to mention Sam," Valerie said with a slight smile as she and the dark-haired boy walked back in the direction of the Fenton home. "She'll probably yell at us for 'chasing some stupid ghost' instead of visiting him…as if that's not an important job what we're doing! Sometimes I swear something's stuck up he a--"

"Well," Tucker interrupted, trying to calm the fiery brunette down; she and Sam had a fight early that week about this and it was still grating on Valerie's nerves. "I suppose I would to if the person I loved looks at me like Danny looks and acts at her. I swear, it's like he hates her…I understand that he's frustrated with not remembering anything but it's like he takes all of his anger out on her! It's amazing that Sam hasn't broken down yet…she just sits there and takes everything with a calm face!"

"I think there's something else going on there that she's not telling us," Valerie interjected with a slightly put out look. She hated being out of the loop, and that was what Sam seemed to be doing to her two best friends…it got on her nerves! "And I think it has something to do with that pendant thing. Ever since she talked to that thing in Danny's head…Knowledge or whatever…she's been acting off and I can tell she's keeping something from us!"

"Maybe she can't tell us," Tucker offered, feeling slightly perturbed that Sam was keeping things from him, but not getting angry like his companion was. "It wouldn't be the first time something like this happened. Back in sophomore year, Danny couldn't tell us about some problem in the Ghost Zone because Clockwork told him he couldn't…and then junior year I couldn't tell any of you guys about that Technus thing or else he would have gained access to the framework of the Ghost Portal. You remember that."

"I know," Valerie answered with a frustrated shake of her head as they turned a corner and approached the unmistakable Fenton home. "It just pisses me off that she doesn't trust us about anything when it concerns this necklace and how it connects her to Danny. I mean, we could actually help her out if she at least let us know the entirety of what's going on! She only told you about the emotions and how she can sense Danny with that necklace…she never explained to us about that weird light or that power it sent out! It's just frustrating I guess."

"I know," Tucker replied as he placed a calming hand on hers and gave a gentle squeeze. "But right now, let's just try and focus on Danny and restoring his memory. I mean, he's only been out of the hospital for a few days and he's still adjusting to everything…"

"Do you think his memory is really coming back Tuck?" Valerie asked in a worried tone as they stopped in the driveway of the Fenton home, a different kind of fear echoing in her eyes…Tucker was slightly surprised because this fighter almost never showed fear to anyone.

"I don't know…"Tucker answered looking straight ahead, still holding her hand. "Sometimes I think he is but then…it's like we lose him all over again. It's only been a week and a half since he woke up…I'm sure he'll start recalling things soon the more we all hang around him!"

He finished his answer with a bright, optimistic smile that didn't reach his eyes hoping that would fool the girl in front of him. She gave him a small smile and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling her hand out of his and walking over towards the front door. Tucker placed a warm hand to his blazing cheek for a second before hurrying after the brown-haired girl with a real smile on his face. They both grinned at each other stupidly as Tucker pushed open the front door, which was no doubt unlocked because Jazz had been spying at them from inside, and crossed the threshold into the living room of the house.

Unfortunately, those smiles on their faces melted instantly as they walked passed the two stressed looking Fenton parents and heard the yelling coming from the kitchen. Jazz walked out of the room with a frown on her face and shaking her head in frustration. She looked up and fixed both teens with a glare before she spoke to them. "About time you guys showed up…go in there and see if you can get him to stop yelling at her. I honestly don't know how she puts up with it…"

Jazz stormed off, muttering something about how Michael better hurry with the hot cocoa or else there would be murder, and the two adults fixed them with sympathizing looks before disappearing after their daughter to try and calm her down. Tucker and Valerie steeled their feelings and postures before pushing the door open to the kitchen and walking in. They knew instantly why Jazz had got so frustrated and left, but both just stayed silent for a moment as they listened to the two 'lovers' quarrel with each other.

"I just don't get why you have to such a bitch about this! I'm just asking that you call me b something that doesn't sound like a two year olds name!"

"Please don't call me a bitch Danny…it's rude and you've always sounded like an idiot when you've tried to swear."

"Stop calling me that! I don't even know who you are so stop acting like you know me! Everyone keeps telling me my name is 'Daniel' so call me that! Or 'Dan' or something!"

"You hate being called by your full name, and I've never used it so I won't start now just because you're throwing a 'woe-is-me' tantrum. I thought we moved past this teenage angst stage last year…"

"Shut up and get the hell away from me! You are the most…I can't stand you! Why do you keep coming over here and trying to get me to remember shit! It's obviously not working, and I think you just make it worse."

"Or, maybe you are by acting like an insufferable prick. Why won't you just accept the things we've all been telling you Danny? Do you think we all made up that you have ghost-powers or that we've been friends for so long? If you don't trust the stories, we can't you trust the pictures? It's not like we doctored them or something."

"I'm trying all right! But everyone keeps expecting me to act a certain way and be this 'Danny' that I'm supposed to be but I can't remember anything past waking up in the hospital…and you sitting on top of me kissing me certainly didn't help anything."

"I thought you were someone else…and I won't stop 'annoying' you until I get that person back. I don't care if you 'act' like Danny Fenton or not…I just want you to remember your life Danny. You can hate me right now if you want, but I'm positive that you won't after you wake up from this nightmare. So, like it or not _Danny_, I'm not going anywhere…no matter how scared you are to remember your life."

Tucker and Valerie watched the entire exchange with something akin to shock and surprise on their faces as the entire argument played out. The had walked in to find an amnesiac and weak looking Danny glaring at the calm and smirking Sam going at it around the kitchen table. Danny kept trying to walk away from her, only throwing the occasional glare her way, but she followed him all over with the neutral face on the whole time. His expression turned a scary kind of angry for a second there, but after Sam had concluded the argument, nearly all of the rage he had pent up flowed out of his body and left him numb looking as he sat down in one of the chairs. Sam wordlessly plopped down next to him and then turned her gaze on Tucker and Valerie, motioning them to come closer now.

"Hey Dan," Tucker said in a careful tone as he sat down opposite the staring young man, Valerie sat down next to Sam without a word but flashed the hurt boy a smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine," Danny answered in an emotionless tone, not looking at Tucker or Valerie to acknowledge their presence. Tucker frowned at this as he looked over the injured boy and deciding he still wasn't 'fine' in any way. The boy's face still sported many cuts and bruises, and his neck still had the markings of a man's fingers circling it. His wrist was wrapped in a splint and Tucker knew that Danny had large white bandages wrapping around his entire torso underneath his black shirt; he also wasn't breathing normally as he sat there. 'I guess his and Sam's argument took a lot out of him,' Tucker thought to himself as he gazed helplessly at the broken boy before him that once was his cheerful best friend.

"Do you remember us Dan?" Valerie asked tentatively, not taking her eyes off of his downcast face.

"You're Valerie Grey, and he's Tucker Foley," Danny answered as he directed his gaze to the very interesting countertop next to the refrigerator. "You came to visit day before last…and you were in the hospital a bunch of times. But if you're asking if I remember you two, then I'm sorry but no. The first time I can recall meeting you two is that day in the hospital when Maddie, Jack, and Jazzmine came to see me. Sorry."

His last word didn't sound apologetic at all, but no one made a comment, Sam just gave him a pointed look before giving Tucker and Valerie a remorseful shrug. No one said anything for a while, and Danny continued to just stare listlessly at the countertop, even when Tucker started telling a funny story about what happened as he and Valerie were hunting a ghost earlier that day. Valerie started to laugh, although Danny gave a small smile at how forced it sounded, and then started to tell a story from freshmen year that was similar. This was the routine that they had perfected: Sam would fight with Danny, Tucker and Valerie would enter and stop the fight, the pair would launch into a story and Danny would pretend to remember, and Sam would sit silently, not taking her eyes off of the amnesiac boy. Funny how routine becomes second nature during times of crisis.

None of the four really knew how long the story-telling lasted this time, but eventually the heavy silence fell over the able yet again. Tucker let out a sad sigh and caught eyes with Valerie for a second before asking, "Anything yet Dan?"

"No," Danny answered in the same monotone voice that sounded so foreign coming from his lips. His dulled blue eyes looked away from the counter and he pushed up from the chair with a pale hand. "Sorry…I'm going to bed. I trust you guys know where the doors are in this house."

"Okay," Valerie said as she pushed herself up as well, trying to catch the moody young man before he disappeared as usual. "It was good to see you again Dan. We'll stop by again tomorrow…if that's all right with you."

Danny gave no answer, only shrugged his shoulders noncommittally before continuing out the kitchen door, evaporating from their sight like he always did, his footsteps echoing down as he climbed up the stairs in a measured step. Valerie felt like letting out the tears she felt behind her brown pupils, but instead opted for a shuddering breath and leaned up against Tucker's taller frame for support. She looked up and saw the raw pained expression on the boy's face and she felt her heart skip a beat as she engulfed his hand within her own. He smiled sadly down at her before looking over at the still stony faced Sam.

"Thanks for coming guys," Sam said after a few seconds of silence as she pushed herself up from her seat, her free hand clutching the pendant hanging from her neck. "I know you two are tired from all the ghost fighting…Bruma said she would send Aestas to help once things in the Ghost Zone settle down."

"Are the ghosts still fighting about this pendant business?" Valerie asked as she narrowed her eyes at the small gemstone clutched in the pale girl's hand.

"That, among other things," Sam answered mysteriously, not truly responding to the question. "Anyway, thanks for coming…it helps."

"Are you kidding me Sam?" Tucker asked in a tired tone, a little exasperated from all the whirling emotions brewing beneath his skin. "This isn't helping at all! He doesn't recognize anything still and he can't stop yelling at you! And he just talks to us like a robot…this isn't helping."

"Yes it is," Sam replied with a harsh smile as she pushed in the chairs. "He's just not showing it. He doesn't want to remember…so he pretends like nothing seems familiar to him to try and stave off the inevitable. I know he's wearing you guys thin, Lord knows Jazz can't take much more of him like this, but thank you for still coming."

"Sure…"Tucker answered as he pulled away from Valerie and grabbed a water bottle out of the refrigerator, ignoring the glowing leftovers in there, and looked back over with doubtful eyes. "Anytime you need me here, I'll be here Sam. Danny's my best friend, and I'll weather through _Dan_ for a few weeks if I have to."

"I agree," Valerie said, still not taking her suspicious eyes off of the necklace. "So what if he's a little temperamental right now…so, the ghosts _are_ still arguing over that necklace eh? Seems like a lot of trouble over some little gemstone…are you sure there's nothing else going on here Sam? Like, no secret powers that stone has or anything?"

"Val," Sam responded with a pointed lilac gaze at the other girl. "I don't understand half of what this thing can do, how can I tell you what it can or cannot do? I know you and Tucker think I'm keeping things from you, and I kind of am, but I can't say anything until this issue with the Ghost Zone calms down. If word gets out to more than who already know…Danny's still way to fragile right now to have to fight off a bunch of dead maniacs trying to stop some rede from coming true."

"Rede?" Tucker asked in a confused tone. "Like a prophecy? What does that have to do with Danny? Is there something written about him or something?"

"Kind of," Sam replied with a wave of her hand. "Bruma calls him the 'Hybrid' and mention something about a legend about this 'Hybrid' but I don't know how much more I can really say about this. I'm sorry guys…I don't want to hurt you guys but I just can't until…"

"No worries Sam," Tucker answered with a sad smile, giving Valerie a pointed look to keep the retort the feisty girl had to herself. "Let's just focus on Danny right now. We'll be back tomorrow…same time?"

"Sure," Sam said with a small grin towards her two friends as the all walked back into the living room. "I think Detective Jake is coming over tomorrow to go over some details with Danny's parents. They're trying to figure out who sprung Riley and Martino from their prison, and until they get some definite proof on Vlad Masters, they can't do anything but speculate."

"They won't find anything, you know that," Valerie replied scathingly, frustrated at the billionaire and his conniving ways and not at Sam…entirely at least. "You know he did everything as Plasmius…there won't be any proof left behind. If Maddie and Jack take their equipment, they might be able to find some residual ghost energy, but no one's going to believe an accusation against Vlad Masters from three eighteen year olds. Much less one that pins him as a half ghost…not unless we are willing to reveal Danny too."

The three teens all fell silent, contemplating different things as they each stood in the front room, looking everywhere but upstairs, where Danny was. Finally deciding he had enough silence, Tucker announced he was heading home and Valerie instantly said she'd walk home with him since they lived in the same area. Valerie's father was promoted to a better paying job at the Axion labs, one that was able to pay for a modest home instead of the apartments that had housed the Greys during freshmen year. Sam smiled slightly as both of the dark-skinned teens waved goodbye and hurried out of the house, walking close to one another. Sam briefly wondered how long they would ignore the feelings between them, but figured the worst that would happen would that they would eventually just end up kissing each other so fiercely they would turn blue in the face.

She walked away form the closed door and collapsed her tired body into one of the large chairs surrounding the television set in the living room, rubbing two fingers against her temple to try and stave off the headache forming behind her eyes. It was getting harder to keep the calm face on whenever he yelled at her like that, but she had to. She had promised Knowledge she would stick by Danny no matter how bad things might get…this was just one of those times. She was so distracted by her thoughts and exhaustion; she didn't even hear Maddie Fenton come near her until the gentle hand gave her shoulder a squeeze and alerted the dark-haired girl to her presence.

"Sam, honey," Maddie said with all the softness a mother can muster, her turquoise eyes shining with sadness and care. "Head on home…you can't do too much if you can't even keep your eyes open. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow if you're feeling up to it."

Sam nodded wordlessly as she rose from the sofa and located her keys on the stand by the door. She remembered she had dropped them on there right when she had walked in, half because she wanted to show Danny she wasn't intimidated by him and half because she was so hurt by the hateful glance he sent her way the moment he saw she had entered. He never looked at anyone else that way…always the vacant look of indifference for everyone except her. He always reserved that special look of annoyance and dislike for her.

'At least he's showing some emotion with me though,' Sam thought to herself as she exchanged goodbyes and a hug with Danny's mother and walked out the front door towards her car. 'I'll take that over the apathetic attitude he gives everyone else…'

She clicked a button on her keychain and opened the door to her black car, a simple environmental safe Hybrid, and was about to climb in when something made her pause. It was a feeling…a feeling coming from her pendant. She turned her head around to look into the window that led to Danny's room and caught a brief look of black hair before the head vanished from sight. She smiled slightly, the first true one since Danny had asked who she was in the hospital those nights ago, and turned back around and finished climbing into her car. Maybe things were getting better…she was sure getting tired of bull-shitting everyone day after day.

"_Will you stand by him girl, no matter what the obstacle may be?"_

"_Promise me Sammy…don't leave him when things get hard. Hard times are approaching…stay by him no matter what."_

"_You're not just going to give up are you? You say you love him…well prove it damnit!"_

Sam smiled slightly as she repeated the voices of Bruma, Knowledge, and her own inner voice in her mind as she pulled away from the Fenton house. She wasn't going to give up…no matter how much of an asshole Danny was being at the moment. She'd just have to give him a good scolding later…

A smile graced the lips of Sam Manson the rest of the drive home, a truly rare sight to behold considering her trials. She knew more were to come, but she'd weather them like she had before; but this time, she wouldn't give up on Danny just because things seemed hard. She owed it to him after all…being a superhero did have its perks from time to time.

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Danny walked up the stairs in a measured way that, for some reason he couldn't place, irked him to no end. He felt like bounding up the stairs two at a time, that was what seemed right, but he wasn't about to admit that to himself. So, he purposely forced his sore body to walk up in a calm manner and walked down the unfamiliar hallway to his…to his room? He stopped as he was faced with three doors, and he was unsure of which room was his…this was getting ridiculous. He had been in this house for a little over a week, why did he still get confused about which room was supposed to be his? He warily pushed open the door of the middle door, but he knew right aware that the room he had chosen was wrong…mainly because he was greeted with the careworn faces of Jack and Maddie Fenton; the two people who were supposed to be his parents.

"Err…" he began uncomfortably as he started to back out of the room. "I-sorry. I just…"

"Come on sweetie," Maddie said as she rose from her seat and guided him out back down the hall and to the room with a window overlooking the front yard. She was careful not to touch him…for some reason anytime someone came near him he freaked out and couldn't stop shaking. She gave him one last sad smile, whispering to let her or his father know if he needed anything before closing the door with a soft click. He stared at the closed door for a second before he sat himself down on what he supposed was his unmade bed.

"_Danny…don't you ever clean this room? I swear, you're worse than Tucker sometimes…"_

Danny shook his head and rose off the bed immediately, wishing he had some Advil for the monster headache he had right now. He paced his room for a moment before pausing in front of his window, opting to stare listlessly out the window rather than think about anything. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed. He knew he was acting like a jerk, something in his head was screaming at him to quit talking and acting like he was, but he couldn't think of anyway else to keep the feelings away. He didn't want to feel them…he was scared.

The sound of the front door slamming caught his attention and he saw the two African-American teens walk out of the house in a hurry…probably just pleased to get away from him no doubt. They were walking closely together, and Danny thought he felt a pang of familiarity in his heart, but that quickly changed into a stabbing pain in his head…

"_Why don't you just make a move already Tuck? I'm sure Val won't say no…"_

"_That's not the point Danny! I need to make sure everything will be perfect…it's important to me."_

"_Whatever you say dude…"_

"Go away!" Danny hissed to no one but himself as he shook his head a bit more violently to be rid of the words. He closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths before he dared to open his blue eyes again to face the brightness of his room. When he finally did reopen his eyes, it was because of the front door slamming shut for the second time, and his curiosity overcame his better judgment and he looked back out the window.

He was met with the view of the black-haired, purple-eyed Sam Manson walking out to her car in a tired way. He felt his breath catch of his own accord as he saw he slim form, clad in a simple pair of denim capris and a black tank with black flip-flops, walk away from his house…walk away from him. Not that he could blame her…he had been trying to force her away from the minute he woke up in the hospital with her…well, straddling…his hips. The reason was simple really…he knew her face and he didn't want to remember…

He didn't know how long he had been staring at the girl before he felt panic rise in his chest as she turned her head abruptly and his blue eyes met with her lilac orbs. He whirled away from the window, breathing deeply and quickly to try and calm down the fluttering his heart had taken to doing the moment he looked into her eyes. He didn't hate this feeling…but it made him feel like it would be okay to start recalling everything and he didn't want to do that.

He waited another moment before sneaking another look at the girl who had captivated his mind and what was left of his memory, hoping to God that she wasn't there anymore and also hoping she was. He saw he starting to get in her car, and he caught the small, true smile dancing across her lips right before she completely disappeared from view and eventually drove off the way she had came from that morning. A smile of his own made its way across his lips before he hastily banished it away with all the voices clambering to be heard in his mind. He couldn't keep thinking like this damnit!

He tore himself away from the window and headed back over towards the full length mirror he had hanging on his wall. He paused in front of it and examined his reflection for a moment, noting that he still looked like he had got into one hell of a fight with someone or some ones. He paused for a second, and then with very deliberate movements, he removed the black shirt he had adorning his upper torso and looked at the mottled bruises all down his back and front. He knew he probably had more, but a large and stiff white bandage was wrapped around his entire ribcage and covered the rest of his chest and back from view. He looked like shit to be bluntly honest, and he felt even worse.

After getting a good look at himself when he was finally allowed to move around at the hospital, he had been terrified of learning why he had lost his memory. And the way everyone looked at him, like he was about to break or collapse from a memory, further his resolved to try to not remember anything. He was scared to death to find out if he really was this superhero ghost-thingy that Sam…that girl…kept saying he was, and to find out what had happened to him to put him in this kind of position.

Unfortunately, one look at the lilac-eyed beauty and he felt all of those carefully constructed barriers start to come crashing down.

A familiar jab began behind his eyes, and Danny shut his eyes tight to try and block out the forgotten memory from coming to fruition. It didn't work though.

_A cold hand trails down his arm…_

_Pain floods his chest as a foot connects with his pale skin…_

Danny took a sharp breath and he snapped his eyes open quickly and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't see a rather thin but fit young man there though, he saw himself crouched against a wall and a huge man leering down at him before he closed his eyes again. He pressed his hands against the sides of his head, his fingers curling around his midnight black hair. They don't stop though…

"_Guess what dipshit? The boss got tired of your little sister…"_

_Cold hands force their way past and connect with skin…_

_Rough, scaly lips press themselves on…_

_The shirt's gone now and a buckle being undone fills the air…_

Danny fell to his knees as he felt the pounding in his head increase tenfold. He was fighting to not scream in pain and settled for a slight whimper as he could feel the blood pounding in his ears…it hurt so much.

_A wail…his own…_

_Darkness…_

"_Don't you see Daniel? You're more like me after each passing day…"_

"_Shut up! I will never be like you!"_

"_But it's already begun little badger…"_

"Please…" Danny whispered to no one as he gasped again, the pain continuing to send waves that wracked his body as well as his head. "Please just stop…" But they didn't.

"_That Phantom character is dangerous Danny! He needs to be destroyed before he can cause anymore damage!"_

"_Don't you think it's about time you started growing up Danny?"_

"_Mr. Fenton…when I see you, I just see my failure as a teacher…"_

"_You will become me Danny…nothing you try to do will change your fate!"_

"_It's always about you isn't it Danny! Maybe if you stopped being such a show-off all the time…"_

"_Danny…I don't love you…I'm sorry."_

"I don't want to see…I don't want to see anymore! Go away…please just go away…"

"_My my Daniel…do you honestly consider yourself a threat to me? I have twenty years of experience on you, what do you possibly think you can do to stop me?"_

"_Your friends were always your weakness…my humanity was my weakness. I rid myself of that weakness because you wished to not feel anymore…"_

"_I'm sorry Danny…I can't focus on a relationship right now…I have other things going on right now. I'm sorry because I thought that I really liked you…"_

"_Your sister can't protect you forever…and when that happens…"_

"_Dude, ever since you got that invitation you've been acting kind of like jerk…"_

"_What do you see in shallow girls like her anyway?"_

"_You're just a freaky little kid trying to fit in with humans…"_

"_We are what are choices make us Danny…always remember that…"_

Danny writhed on the floor for an unmeasured amount of time, trying to focus on anything but the pain threatening to overwhelm his entire being. He wasn't aware that he had started to yell and scream in pain, and he also wasn't aware of his 'parents' and his 'sister' rushing into the room and trying to calm him down. He could only focus on the thoughts and images whizzing past his subconscious…he didn't want to see these! His entire world was crashing down on his head and he didn't want to remember!

"_I promise not to ever let you fall again Danny…"_

_Screams as a building comes crashing down on a small family of four…_

_The taste of rain and lilacs on silk…_

"_I think I fell in love with you…despite myself…"_

"_Come on Danny…it's killing me to be away from you…come back to me."_

The last conscious thought that Danny could remember thinking before he let the darkness take him again, letting the pain throbbing in his head and his aching limbs fade away into a numb feeling, was one that seemed important. It seemed like it had some kind of significance, but he couldn't remember what…

"_If dreams are like movies, than memories are films about ghosts Danny. Fitting, don't you think? I keep finding songs that remind me of you…maybe that's what love is after all…"_

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**A/N: **And there we have it! I guess it really wasn't all that short but whatever. You guys should expect that by now eh? I hope this met the expectations some of you had…and if not, let me know what was up! I was actually somewhat pleased with this one…I liked writing Danny as a jerk! I hope I was able to justify my OOC ness in there, and if that kind of bothered you, sorry but it was needed.

Oh, the song from the last chapter is called "Away From You" by Aphasia. It works really well with that chapter…I think I'm going to make a soundtrack to this story…what do you guys think? I would post it in my profile under this story's slot.

As always, let me know what you guys thought por favor! Honestly, reviews are food for my poor fast-food deprived soul…darn Lent! I promise to have the next chapter up before I leave for spring break…and I won't watch "Rent" for a little while okay? Kael was angry with me but Ellie loves it so I listened to her…REVIEW!

Osco


	9. Part 9: Ash

**A/N: **Sorry this isn't out when I said it would be…I had a friend stay with me until we left and didn't get a chance to write this. Thanks again to all those who reviewed! You guys make me happy…almost as happy as Disneyland makes me. Oh Disneyland, how I love thee…

Hope you guys like this one and enjoy!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Chapter Nine: Ash**_

Jazz didn't know how much more stress she could take before every ounce of her resolve snapped. She had successfully been getting over her experiences with Riley with her families and Mikey's help, but every time she took a step forward, she had to take two steps back for Danny. She knew she shouldn't be angry at him, his amnesia was confusing him and making him lash out at everyone, but she couldn't help it. He was just so rude! That was part of the reason why she had stormed out of the kitchen earlier that day and left Sam, Tucker, and Valerie alone in there with him.

It wasn't until she and Mikey, who had in fact returned with the hot chocolate like she had wanted, heard her baby brother's scream after Sam had left did she feel her anger melt away. Fear replaced the void and she moved like a woman possessed until she was kneeling beside her crying brother and holding him to her, rocking him as she would a child who had a nightmare. He was clutching his head and whispering something about not wanting to see, and Jazz knew right away that he was having a nightmare…one that unfortunately was true.

She could hear her parents enter after her, followed by Mikey who was calling the doctor assigned to deal with the traumatic events the Fenton siblings had went through. Her mother swept down beside her and was debating whether or not to hold onto his hand, and her father knelt down opposite, looking lost and helplessly at his thrashing son. Jazz murmured into Danny's inky black hair comforting nothings until his shaking stilled to a stop and he slumped forward. She continued to rock her broken little brother for a few moments after he had passed out, oblivious to everything surrounding her but the now small figure cradled in her lap.

Jazz let her father lift Danny's prone form off the floor, admiring the gentleness her father exhibited as he cradled his younger child as one would a newborn baby, and the felt her mother give her hand a small squeeze before exiting the room. Her father followed her mother, telling Jazz that they were going to lay Danny down on their bed so they could be there when he woke up. She didn't move, just acknowledged the statement with a nod and continued to stare at the spot where her brother had been moments before. It wasn't until she felt a warm, soothing hand on her bare shoulder did she tear her gaze away and look up at the kind brown eyes framed by floppy brown hair.

"Jazzy," Mikey said softly, using his nickname for her in his low baritone voice. "Are you all right? I'm sure Danny's not hurt too badly…probably just experiencing his repressed memories in flashes."

"I know that," Jazz answered in a quiet tone, looking directly up into the ruggedly handsome face that belonged to her strength over the past few days. "And that's what I'm worried about. He kept whispering that he didn't want to see…and I wouldn't either if I woke up in a hospital and covered in bruises. He's resisting remembering and that's what's hurting him…he looked so small…"

"I know Jazzy," Mikey answered as he wrapped the petite red-head up in his arms and held her close to him. She hooked her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder; letting the calm he created seep into her skin and sooth her racing nerves. They held each other for a moment, and Mikey leaned down slightly to place a chaste kiss on Jazz's forehead, smoothing her long hair back as well.

"Is it wrong that I'm somewhat happy that this didn't happen to me?" Jazz asked in a small voice, feeling the hot swoop of guilt in her stomach as she uttered the words aloud. "That I'm relieved that I didn't end up with amnesia like Danny? That I woke up in a hospital with no memory of what my life was like and only a myriad of bruises and injuries to give me a hint as to why I have no memory?"

"No," Mikey answered with in a calm, but firm tone, tightening his hold on the young woman and rocking her a little bit now. "It's not wrong that you feel this way…just because this happened to Danny doesn't mean that it should happen to you as some form of punishment you think you deserve! You have nothing to be ashamed, guilty, or sorry for Jazzy…absolutely nothing. You did everything in your power to prevent your brother from being hurt…we know he wasn't raped because the doctors couldn't find any tearing around the anus and there was no bruising or blood around his thighs."

"That doesn't mean Martino didn't_ touch_ him," Jazz hissed angrily, tightening her small hands around folds in Mikey's shirt. "I swear, if he wasn't already dead…"

"I know, I know," Mikey said with a small laugh as he pulled back enough to look into the object of his affection's turquoise eyes. "But, if I may add, I think you'd have to try and beat Sam and your parents to him! Let's just say that your brother did him a favor…when he did whatever he did."

Jazz didn't comment further how her brother had been able to kill Martino, knowing that Mikey accepted it as a family secret that he wasn't allowed in on yet. She smiled slightly and pulled back further, grabbing one of his hands with her own small one. They both felt something jolt through them, and knew that they were exiting the realm of friends and into something else…something that was a bit more terrifying and exciting.

After all, not many friends would fly from New York to Amity Park to bring someone hot chocolate.

"Do you want to go and check up on your brother?" Mikey asked in a gentle voice, brushing some of her auburn hair away from her face.

"Not right now," she answered, curling her slim hand around his strong one and smiling kindly at the Italian young man. "Let's give my parents some time with him first…they probably need it more so than I do right now."

Mikey nodded his head and let Jazz lead him out of Danny's room and downstairs to the living room. Curling up on the couch with a blanket, they watched a movie that was playing on 'Lifetime' and ended up falling asleep.

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Jack carried his son to his and Maddie's room, being careful not to jostle his vulnerable child too much. Setting him down with the utmost care, Jack just sat and watched his son breathe for what seemed an eternity, every once in a while smoothing the raven hair Danny inherited from him out of his still bruised face. His son's breathing was normal, and if one didn't know any better, it would seem like he was just resting peacefully. But, Jack Fenton did know better and his son was anything but peaceful as he lay there unconscious. The older man sighed heavily, a sound that was foreign coming from him, and rubbed his face with a large hand.

As if being kidnapped and beaten wasn't bad enough, his youngest child was possibly molested and now suffering from amnesia…it wasn't fair to thrust all of that on the shoulders of an eighteen year old boy. But, was being changed into a half-ghost superhero at the young age of fourteen any fairer? Danny had always been shouldering responsibilities and burdens that no one should have to, and he wasn't even out of his teens yet! To top it all off, Danny had actually hid his powers from both Maddie and himself…fearing being treated like some sort lab-rat by the people who raised him. Maybe getting amnesia and forgetting everything would be what he wanted…

A hot wave of guilt crashed into Jack as he thought over everything, realizing that most of the responsibility his son had to bear was, in part, due to his own doings. Riley attacked Danny and Jazz to take his revenge on him and his wife, his sins of the past caused everything his son went through over that week. And then the Fenton Portal, one of his inventions, created Danny's ghost powers, and then his obsession with fighting ghosts nearly caused him to destroy his own son a few times more than ever should happen. Not to mention that he had never been the most attentive father while Danny was growing up, easily distracted and to caught up in his work to make time for his beautiful little boy.

Jack removed the hand from his face as he felt a small, comforting hand on his shoulder, looking up into the beautiful face of his lady love. Maddie smiled down at her husband in a gentle, sad way and settled herself on his leg as she placed her other hand on Jack's cheek.

"Jack," Maddie said in a small whisper, glancing over at her still sleeping son before directing her bright eyes into her husband's own blue. "Don't beat yourself up over this. There was no way to know that Riley would harbor a hatred towards us for so many years over one little grant. Jazz doesn't blame you for what happened, and I'm sure Danny won't either…once he gets up that is."

Jack gave his wife a bewildered look, silently asking how on Earth she had been able to read his mind so accurately. "Call it woman's intuition Jack…we always know when something's bothering our husbands or our children."

"That's not all though Maddie," Jack spoke back in a slightly quieter voice than he normally used. Some habits just could never be broken. "I keep thinking about all those times we tried to capture him when we didn't know about him being Danny Phantom. It was partially our fault he became half ghost, and then he couldn't trust us enough to tell us about it. Maybe if I had been a better father, paid more attention to my kids than my tools, he would have trusted me enough…he wouldn't have feared me."

Maddie remained silent, embracing her husband in mutual comfort as he wrapped he small frame in his huge arms. She decided it was safer to not agree or disagree with her obviously upset husband, because he was partly right on some of the things he said. She too felt that Danny's condition was in some way her fault, her and Jack had just left something so dangerous out there in the open, a perfect death trap for a headstrong fourteen year old. Thank God it didn't kill him though…something that according to all of their notes was something that would happen to a living creature that entered the portal without protection. Somehow, Danny had survived and became dead in a sense, but that didn't erase the harm 'harmless' neglect had caused on their poor little boy. Jack was right in that sense…they both should have been better parents instead of being so concerned with ghosts and their work.

For goodness sake, she didn't even know that her son had been terrified of ghosts up until his transformation! She had to remember to thank Sam for trusting her and Jack with all that Danny apparently didn't. She had to stop thinking about this; she had to focus on helping her son remember his life!

"Jack, we can't live our lives with a bunch of what-ifs," Maddie said finally, looking at her husband lovingly. "Perhaps we should have been better parents when Jazz and Danny were younger, but we can't go back and change what's done. All we can do now is star trying our hardest to make up for lost time. So we weren't 'parents of the year' for the first part of their lives…we can start right now."

Jack stared at his incredible wife for a moment before the uncustomary gloom on his face broke and morphed into his trademark grin. He stood up suddenly, getting a yelp of surprise from his beautiful love as he too her with him and spun her around with a happy laugh. He stopped and set Maddie down, who now also wore a truly jovial smile, and rested his chin on the top of her head…still leaning down some to reach even that point.

"How are you always right Maddie?" Jack asked with a slight chuckle to his tone.

"Well, I am female," Maddie answered with a smile of her own, knowing her husband was mock-scowling at her head right now. "And my concern for Danny is taking priority over my own issues right now…he'll be all right when he remembers as long as he knows that we still love him no matter if he's ghost or not. There's no way a boy with those big eyes and that pout could ever keep anyone mad at him anyway!"

Both older Fentons laughed a bit louder this time, knowing that their rather clumsy son knew how to get people to do what he wanted with one patented puppy-dog face he had perfect since age five. Glancing back over at their still slumbering son they exited the room quietly, letting their amnesiac son get the rest he needed and the space he wanted. They shut the door softly and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, hand in hand like the love-sick couple they were.

"I love you baby," Jack said in his customary booming voice, fixing her with the sparkling eyes that could always make her laugh as he quirked his eyebrows at her.

"I love you too honey," Maddie answered with a chuckle as she playfully slapped his arm before kissing his cheek chastely, knowing that kissing parents in public was still very much a taboo in the Fenton household.

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"_But Mommy! I **hate **going to the store! Can't I just go play cowboys with Tucker? Pretty PLEASE?"_

"_Danny," a woman's voice answered, strangely familiar and yet different. Flashes of brown hair and kind eyes flitted in his mind before escaping his grasp. "If you want those sugar cookies you've been complaining for then you have to just bear with going with me to the store! Sometimes you have to things you don't want to do to get the things you want."_

"_But the store is soooo boring!" He vaguely remembering jutting out his bottom lip and widening his already big eyes and then heard a woman's laughter._

"_Now don't you dare try that on me right now Daniel James Fenton! Tell you what, if you behave at the store today, you can have the cookies after dinner tonight and even have Tucker and Sam over for a sleep-over! How does that sound uh?"_

"_Okay! Let's go now Mommy!"_

"_Slow down Danny, don't trip running down the stairs…"_

It felt nice to remember such a happy time in his childhood…or at least that's what he figured it was. Things seemed so carefree back then…and this proved to his denying mind that he did in fact know who Tucker was. Sam was mentioned again as well…this was starting to become a serious problem.

"_Mommy…can you take me to the park today! You promised we'd feed the ducks and get ice cream!"_

"_Danny, Mommy's busy right now…maybe later. Why don't you just go and play with your sister?'_

"_Her friends say I have cooties! And they keep trying to lipstick on me…"_

"_Well, Mommy's work is very important, you know that. You Daddy and I might be on the verge of a breakthrough!"_

"_But…you promised Mommy…"_

"_Maddie! I've just finished the new coordinates for the Fenton Ghost Zapper! Let's test them out on the random pieces of junk in the house!"_

"_Jack dear…"_

_Emptiness…they ignored him. Not on purpose, but the damage was done as he saw a very small black haired boy no older than seven turn away from the room with slumped shoulders and tears on his cheeks. Even though it happened so long ago, looking at it again made the pain rip through him anew…indifference is a horrible thing when directed at a child._

Okay, so his life wasn't perfect…he figured as much, but this really wasn't giving him incentive to keep the images rolling. His emotions were already reeling from everything that had apparently happened, why make it worse? Aw damnit…not more!

_A bright head light and a sudden sound of metal crunching against metal and asphalt. He…phases through the car? Why is his hair white? And doesn't he have blue eyes not green…he's even talking differently, like there's an echo or something. Another image…person…appears before him: black hair, pale skin, red eyes, and fangs with a cape make this guy a Dracula wannabe. Wearing spandex out in public! That had died in the 80's with good reason!_

"_Daniel…"his voice sounds like oil, thick and suffocating but smooth and confident. "Let's have a little chat yes?"_

"_Plasmius…" he heard himself growl angrily…and then he floated off the ground…God please let this be a dream! "Any reason why you decided to total my car to have a chat! Haven't you gotten the fact that I don't want to join you, my Mom is happy with my Dad, and you should be adopting cats right about now?"_

"_Always so witty Daniel…but this has nothing to with your mother I'm afraid. You see, I have offered you time and time again to join me and leave your pathetic excuse for a father, but you insult me and shove those offers right back in my face…like you did just now. If you will not join me Daniel, I will not allow you to continue to disrupt my plans. How does permanent afterlife sound to you son?"_

"_Sound a little confident there Vlad…don't consider me a threat yet even though I'm still floating here after three years of attempted executions? Sorry, I don't feeling like fully dying just yet…and you are not my father…you never will be."_

_The two…things…met in midair and began a deadly dance of bright green and dark pink. Eww…that looked like it hurt…wow! He could certainly dish it back out though! He…HE kicked ass! It was a dangerous fight, and others soon joined in. A red clad form zoomed in on a flying surfboard and began firing at the ghosts that were working with Dracula's fan boy. She pulled back her hood and he was startled to be met with a familiar face._

_Valerie Grey…the same girl who kept coming over to the house… _

_Another form zoomed into the fray, this one on a scooter and sucking the ghosts into a thermos? That was weird…why a thermos? He knew that dorky red beret…_

_Tucker Foley…_

_He saw the redheaded girl staying in the house with him zip in next, clad in some strange metal body suit. She was, shredding for lack of a better word, the ghosts in front of her and also was protecting Tucker as he scooted this way and that. She was his…_

_Jazz Fenton…his older sister._

_He didn't need to identify the whirl of black hair ad flash of lilac eyes. He knew that one all on his own. The fight was winding down and he…he was winning! It all began to blur away and the last thing he saw was of 'Plasmius' hitting the ground with a resounding thud and he slightly younger version of himself floating down as well._

That was certainly interesting…was he really a superhero like Sam kept telling him? He certainly wasn't a wuss, that's for sure!

"_Daniel," an ageless voice spoke to him, holding out something in his green and wrinkled hand. "I am entrusting this to you. Give it to someone that you deem worthy of your affection…you will need it dearly in the trials to come…"_

_A small purple stone on a silver chain rested in his hand, giving off a slight warmth as he curled his hand around it…why did that seem so important?_

"_Happy Birthday Sammy!"_

"_Danny…this is beautiful! How did you come across this pendant, and why are you giving it to me?"_

"_I got it from a friend…ad it's not every day someone's best friend turns eighteen…"_

…

…

…

"…he'll be all right when he remembers as long as he knows that we still love him no matter if he's ghost or not…"

The sound of laughter and of a door shutting softly shortly after roused the groggy Danny Fenton from his trauma induced sleep. He opened his eyes and was met with the dimly lit room he knew belonged to his…his parents. He shot up like a bolt, and immediately cursed his actions afterwards due to the pain he felt in his head and his entire upper body. He took shallow breaths and got the pain and dizziness under control before getting up completely, feet dangling over the side of the bed as he gripped the edge.

He just…he knew this was his parents room! This was major…he was beginning to recognize things other than Sam…did he want to? Gingerly, he slipped off the bed and steadied himself before slowly walking toward the door and cracking it open. Seeing everything was clear, he slipped out of the room and warily crept down the hall, a vague tune from some movie humming in his head the whole while.

He could hear voices coming from downstairs…happy voices that had been absent in the house ever since he had come here from the hospital. He felt something stir in his heart at the sound of a booming laugh and an exasperated "Dad!" as he started to walk down the stairs carefully. He didn't know why he kept heading towards the people he had been avoiding for the past week, but something inside him whispered that it was the right thing to do. He felt a smile tug at his lips as another voice joined in the laughter…a lilting laugh that sent shivers of warmth down his spine and into his stomach.

'Mom…that's my Mom's voice…'

He was about to step onto the landing when he caught his reflection in a mirror downstairs, causing all of his motions to stop. He still looked like he did when he was up in his room, before all the memories bombarded his mind. His black hair was sticking up at odd angles, no doubt due to the scrunching his hands had engaged in earlier and he looked down to find his wrist still in a splint. Nothing had changed, everything that had made him want to not remember was still there, visible on and underneath his skin. But…something else was there as well…he caught his own eyes in the mirror and looked a bit harder.

They were glowing green…

Maybe everything was still shitty and maybe he didn't want to know what had happened to make him look this way, but those glimpses of love and affection had finally broken through the barrier he had set up around himself. All of these people…those voices in his mind and in the kitchen to his right, were cheering him on and letting him know how much they cared about him.

He supposed the least he could was to try and learn to love them again…

Turning his gaze away from the mirror, Danny proceeded to step off the stairs and took small, tentative steps until he stood outside the kitchen door. Their voices sounded so inviting, so warm. Not aware that his eyes were now a brilliant blue again, and were no longer dull and lifeless, he took a deep breath and gently pushed open the door to the kitchen, staring dumbly at the shocked faces that greeted him.

It didn't take long after he muttered that he knew that Jack and Maddie were his parents and Jazz was his sister that he was suddenly being slightly crushed by hugs of his…his family. He could feel the salty tears leaking from his mother's eyes on his arm, but he didn't shy away from them this time. When they all pulled back from the recovering halfa, each person n the kitchen smiled at the genuine, albeit small, smile on Danny's face. Even Mikey, who had barely met the kid before the incident, was amazed by how much the smile lit up the eighteen year old's face.

They asked Danny a bunch of questions, mostly having something to do with how he was feeling and how he was starting to remember, but he just shook his heart-shaped face and spoke only a few words, further shocking his family but knowing they would help him.

"Can you please take me to Sam Manson's house?"

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Sam had just got of the shower and was towel drying her raven locks when she heard her mother say she had a visitor downstairs, in a mysteriously elated voice as well. Already suspicious, Sam narrowed her eyes as she set down the towel and slipped on some black sweatpants and an over-sized concert shirt and headed towards her door. She saw cracked it open and saw nothing frilly, pink, or flowery, breathing a sigh of relief before continuing down the hall and towards the main foyer of her large home.

However, now as Sam made her way downstairs she was wondering why her mother had used the tone she had if she wasn't trying to force Sam into some hideous cupcake dress…her mother didn't use that tone without good reason. As she ambled down the hall, continuing to dry her hair using her hand, her mid drifted back to the current poem she was working on…she couldn't help it. Writing poetry made her feel better when she was upset…

…_Go take my heart and shatter it against the floor,_

_Since evidently none of it matters anymore._

She had spent most of the night scratching out lines when she wasn't satisfied with how they turned out. Those were the only lines she had kept so far…but those definitely felt like more of an ending than a beginning…should she write a whole poem based on two ending lines? Oh hell, why not? It's not like she had much else to with her time right now...

She kept trying to come up with words or clever wordings in her head that at first she didn't comprehend who she was faced with in the main entry room of her mansion. It was only after blinking her eyes a few times did she actually accept who she was seeing…Danny Fenton was standing with his hands clasped in front of him like a scared little boy on his first day of school, looking at her like she was going to throw something at him.

"Uh…hi Sam."

Sam just stared back at him, cursing herself for not being able to come back with some sort of scathing comment to vocalize her frustration with this boy! Unfortunately, Maddie Fenton was not the only one affected by those depthless blue eyes. Sam suddenly wished she didn't try to hand dry her hair, knowing it now probably looked like a wild woman's hair, and also cursed the Fenton parents for not even putting a shirt on their son before taking him out of the house! Well, there he was in all his glory, wearing only a very low pair of baggy sweatpants on his lithe frame and only white bandages covering his chest at all. Someone up there hated her.

"I um…I just wanted to say that…that I-I'm sorry I've been kind of rude lately," Danny said has he bit his bottom lip in anxiousness. Sam was having serious problems now! Why did he have to look so…so…so tasty right now when she wanted to yell and scream at him! Wait…tasty? Oh God…she was starting to use the same words as Paulina. Did she kill a king in her past life or something?

"I just wanted to…I'm sorry Sammy."

There it was. That last sentence broke Sam Manson out of her momentary daze and she fixed Danny with a surprised and hopeful look. "Danny? What did you just call me?"

"I called you Sammy," Danny said in a small voice that made her want to kiss him all over again. 'I swear Bruma, if I get pregnant before I turn nineteen I'm blaming you entirely…' "And I called you that because…because that's what I remember calling you whenever you were mad at me. I'm remembering things Sam, and I think that now I don't want to fight anymore…I want to remember everyone and my life…even if it's stuff I don't like. I want to remember you…"

Sam smiled a brilliant smile before rushing over and wrapping the slender boy in a gentle hug and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She could feel the pendant resting on her chest thrum happily and opened her eyes a fraction to see it emit a soft violet glow. She looked up and gazed into the boy's lost, but now blazing blue eyes, smiling in that secret way of hers that she new unnerved him, amnesiac or not.

"Will…Will you help me remember Sam? Everything…including the…the ghost powers and stuff?"

Sam placed one hand on his bare but bruised chest, careful to not press to hard and smirked at the blush that she had caused to spread over his cheeks. She reached up and stroked the side of his face softly, smirk changing into a smile again as he closed his eyes and emitted a soft sigh of security. She stood on her tip toes and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before saying in a voice she thought she would lose with this ordeal.

"Of course you goof…when have I ever not helped your butt out before?"

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**A/N: **I know it isn't all that long, but I was faced with a choice halfway through this chapter. I could make it long like it originally was and have lots of pointless angst and yelling, or I could delve into the emotional aspects of certain characters and keep this chapter a bit shorter. I choose the greater of my strengths and am actually pretty happy with how this turned out!

I want to dedicate this chapter to Me the Anon One! Happy birthday Nonny! Hope it's a good one!

Let me just say this, some of your reviews crack me up guys! You guys are just lucky I'm not one of those anal authors who get angry when people start to virtually threaten me when I don't update on schedule. I actually get a kick out of them to tell the truth…you guys are funny and I love reading your reviews! But, just to let you know, the threatening really has no other effect on me…sadly if I am lazy and am caught up reading other fanfiction and doing schoolwork among other things, the threat does not make me suddenly give up my procrastinating ways. Usually lots of reviews give me motivation, but I've never been a quick updater…but I hope you guys appreciate the quality the time generates. Anywho, thanks for the laughs from my threateners! You guys rock out loud!

Okay, next update right? Uh, I've got two paper due next week and I have yet to start them so probably not until after a week …maybe a bit longer. The action will pick back up in around two chapters or so…hang with me guys! I'll try my best, but I don't just want to put crap out for you guys. When my update will come, it'll be worth it I hope!

And now, after a very long end note, I ask you all to please keep on reviewing and filling the void in my author soul! Let's try to get thirteen reviews this time around…I've never broken a hundred strangely enough…it would be wonderful if I could!

As always, thanks so much and I bid you all adieu until next time!

Osco


	10. Part 10: Growth

**A/N: **Wow…just wow guys. The response I got for last chapter completely blew me away…thank you all so much for the reviews! This chapter doesn't have too much to with advancing the plot, pretty much just some fluff and regaining some memories. Maybe a wee bit of foreshadowing…insert evil smile here.

Maybe I should add a small lime warning here as well…well, if there is it will be light.

I hope you all enjoy!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**PartTen: Growth**_

"I still really don't see the point of doing this every day," a tired looking, dark haired boy moaned from his sitting position on the couch. He looked imploringly over at his similarly dark haired companion as she purposely ignored his wide blue eyes and continued to flip through the leather-bound book. "And for so long each day! Come on Sam, can't we take a break or something…I'm sure I liked going to the mall or something."

"Actually," the lilac eyed girl responded with a knowing smirk playing across her face. "You hate going to the mall ever since you were blamed for nearly blowing the place up in our junior year during a fight with Skulker…do you remember Skulker?"

"Uh…the hunter guy?"

"Ghost, Danny…he's a hunter ghost," Sam answered with a laugh at his befuddled expression. Danny was really trying so hard to remember his life, but the issues surrounding ghosts were taking longer than usual to return. "And as to your first question, we do this every day because it helps you remember…you were here in these pictures and it helps stimulate what else happened." Sam cocked her now pouting friend a knowing look and asked in an almost evil, sweet tone, "Would you rather get help remembering by talking with Jazz for three hours?"

"What? No!" Danny exclaimed with a frantic shake of his head, now making the gothic beauty break out into uncharacteristic giggles. Danny was really too easy to predict!

"Didn't think so," Sam answered with another smirk as she flipped the page of her scrapbook to one where she, Danny, and Tucker were crowded outside a restaurant in freshman year. "Now, look at this one Danny…remember anything?"

Danny studied the picture for a moment with a cute frown on his face, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and biting his bottom lip as he tried to recall the snapshot's moment in time. Sam had to almost will herself to not lean over and kiss him right at that moment, knowing full well that her kissing him was not going to help the amnesiac boy. It had been very hard at first, especially when he began remembering her, but she had held out for so long…she could wait a little longer until he felt comfortable enough for kissing.

It had been a little over three weeks since Danny's pseudo breakdown and his decision to let his family and friends help him remember his life, and Sam had enjoyed most of it. His family had started him off with his early childhood, he seemed to remember an incident where he was unable to have a puppy when he was five foremost, and then included Sam and Tucker more as they progressed into early school years. With only a few relapses, Danny was able to remember most of his early childhood with ease…even if he was still having trouble with recalling the people involved correctly without prompting. He was remembering the situation and that, in and of itself, was enough for right now.

In addition to the family therapy, Jazz had also called a psychiatrist friend of hers from New York and asked if she could come down to help her brother for a little bit over the summer. Dr. Madison James specialized in post traumatic stress cases, and had been a guest speaker for one of Jazz's lectures, so Danny agreed to it as long as Sam stayed in the room with him. Sam made sure to keep Danny away from any stories that might hint to his ghost powers (he had made mention of going from the cafeteria to the school roof when Dr. James asked about a school incident, not knowing that he had floated through the ceilings in ghost mode whilst chasing after a rogue spook…that could have been awkward), and also encouraged him to talk about Riley if a memory ever surfaced.

From what Dr. James could determine, the hospital doctors' reports reported, and what Sam's pendant seemed to tell her, it looked like Danny had not been raped while with Riley; this helped both his parents and sister sleep easier at night. However, that knowledge didn't stop Danny from having nightmares at night, sometimes so bad Sam had to come over in the early morning hours to help comfort him through the pendant more than a few times. He could never remember anything beyond a feeling and sounds when he woke up, but he was still extremely skittish around his father and Jazz's new boyfriend Mikey.

However, even though Danny was recovering his memories at a somewhat sluggish pace, Dr. James seemed very optimistic about his recovery, telling Sam and everyone else it was normal for people in Danny's condition to recover at a slower rate. His air path to the brain had been cut off for a sufficiently long time…the petite doctor was surprised that the blue-eyed boy hadn't suffered brain damage on top of the amnesia. Over all, a semblance of normalcy had started to reign over the Fenton household and everyone had high hopes that Danny would recover his memory before the end of summer.

That only left the problem of Danny remembering his ghost powers…nearly every moment that involved a ghost or his powers was terribly hard for Danny even to recall the situation happening. His powers often spooked him whenever they flared up, which thankfully wasn't all that often, and the strong control he had developed over four years had dwindled down into nothing. Sam would have found the situation terribly funny if not for the severity of the events which caused the amnesia; it all reminded her of the time when Desiree had wiped out Danny's ghost powers due to a wish she made. It had been very funny then, and she had even got a kiss from Danny out of it (not that he remembered even with his memory), but it was starting to become an issue now.

You see, Danny's absence did not go unnoticed by the denizens of the Ghost Zone and after a month and a half of wondering what happened to the half ghost they were starting to investigate. Danny rarely fought the nemeses from his younger days; they had formed a somewhat shaky understanding after the car accident incident with Vlad a year ago, and the ghosts honorably upheld that oath. That didn't mean that all of the ghosts liked Danny or even went into the agreement though. Spectra and Bertrand did not sign the treaty; neither did Walker and his goons, or Ghost Writer, although he wasn't much of a threat. A nasty ghost called Machina that Danny faced off with during prom week sophomore year didn't either, and there was a young girl who floated in a flower field who hadn't either, but her story is a mystery for another time. Countless others were vehemently against the peace, but many were for it, liking a little relaxation in the afterlife. In particular, the spirits enforced it, and now it was the Seasonal spirits who were controlling most of the Ghost Zone's traveling to the Human realm.

In fact, just earlier that week Ember had flown in to check up on the, as she put it, 'little dipstick that grew on her' and Sam had to relate bits and pieces of what happened while Danny stared at the rocker in morbid fascination. Skulker had popped in a little later on that week, and after muttering something about pelts adorning his mantle, he promised to help the spirits keep the more vengeful ghosts at bay until Danny got well. Those two still didn't get along, despite the fact that he had also signed the treaty, and Sam could tell that Skulker would still love Danny for his collection. Not that she told Danny though…his poor psyche probably couldn't take it right now.

"Sam?" Danny asked in a loud and impatient voice, which suggested that wasn't the first time he had called out her name. The black-haired girl blinked a few times out of her thoughts and focused back on the present and the very annoyed looking half ghost sitting next to her with an attempt at an angry glare placed on his face. He always believed that he could pull off one of those menacing glares well, but the truth was he could only do it when extremely pissed off…the rest of the time he just looked adorable.

"Sorry," Sam replied with a shrug as she put the wayward thoughts away for the moment. "Zoned out for a minute…remember anything?"

"I think…" Danny said with a frown as he turned his attention back to the picture. "I think that this is right before we started high school…"

"Anything else?" Sam pressed as she leaned forward.

"Uh…I think we ate there…"

"Well no shit Sherlock," Sam answered with a laugh as she swatted his arm. "What about what we ate? Can you remember anything about that? We all ordered and I got a salad and then…"

"And then Tucker tricked you into eating some of the meat in his hamburger when you went to the bathroom," Danny finished with a faraway look on his face, oblivious to the completely ecstatic look on Sam's face which turned into awed as he continued. "He hid the chopped up meat in your salad and you were so mad at him when you found out…you threatened to take his PDA away…I snorted soda out my nose that day too from laughing so hard…I had fun that day…"

"Oh Danny!" Sam exclaimed as she threw her arms around the now surprised boy's neck. "That's wonderful! You really remembered it, and not just what happened, you remembered your reaction and how you felt! You were talking as if you remembered us again Danny…that's great!"

"Uh, thanks Sam," Danny responded with a shaky grin as the girl withdrew her arms and sat back down on the couch next to him. She was still dangerously close though and he felt an overwhelming desire to do something spontaneous when the petite girl brushed some of his midnight locks out of his eyes. Thankfully, he was saved by some unknown deity as Tucker and Valerie barged into the room, faces flushed from some sort of activity.

Now, Sam and Danny, the latter unconsciously of course, might have wished those flushed faces came from their two friends getting over that nasty bump from friends to more than friends, but it was probably just from arguing. Weeks of suppressed sexual tension were starting to take its toll on the two dark skinned teens, and while Sam could relate, she didn't pity them. It's not like either one of them had amnesia and would probably hit the other if one tried to attempt anything physical. Yes, Sam Manson was becoming quite bitter at her two stubborn friends…it was getting some what sad really.

"Hey guys," Danny exclaimed with a lopsided grin as the two red faced teens marched into the living room of the Fenton abode. "I remembered a whole memory today…or at least a lot of part of one…"

"Really? That's great man!" Tucker exclaimed with a smile as he strode away from a still scowling Valerie and stopped directly in front of the seated youths. "Which one?"

"Where you put hamburger in my salad at Nasty Burger right before we started freshmen year," Sam answered with an evil smirk as she fixed the now nervous looking techno-lover with a glare. Valerie happened to find this funny and finally left her post by the door with a smile and stood beside Sam. "I still haven't gotten you back for that Tuck…you better watch out for wheatgrass in your hot dog this Fourth of July."

Everyone, even Danny to an extent, laughed at the meat-lover's expense and Tucker's only reply was an incoherent 'whatever' towards Sam as he tried to keep the smile off his face. It was finally starting to feel like old times again around the Fenton house and the 'Fantastic Four' as Maddie Fenton had taken to calling them after Valerie started to hang out with them. They were the 'Three Stooges' for a while, or 'Dork Trio' as Dash and his cronies liked to refer to them as, but a fourth member null and voided those titles. Tucker was so happy to see Danny, his best friend for so long, actually remember who he was that he didn't care if he was made fun of a bit. He thought of it as karma for teasing Sam about Danny all those years…that had started way before high school even.

"Ghost hunting all right?" Sam asked Valerie, ignoring the still slightly shocked look on Danny's face. He was remembering, but that didn't mean casual talk of hunting 'make-believe' creatures still didn't weird him out a bit.

"Kind of slow to be honest," Valerie answered with a confused look on her face as she sat in a chair opposite the couch. "It's starting to make me wonder what's going on you know? I mean, I know that Bruma and her gang are helping us out a lot, but I've hardly fought a spook all week! I guess it's a good thing but my gut's telling me that something's up."

"Well," Sam said with a resigned sigh as she pushed off the couch, Danny mirroring her movements. "There's not too much we can do about that right now. You should let Bruma know what you think when she visits, and we'll all just have to help Danny get better faster."

To be completely honest, Sam agreed full-heartedly with Valerie on this one, the pendant around her neck seemed to be hinting towards something big. It was strange that there was no activity here…but it was even stranger that the ghosts weren't fighting amongst themselves as well. Sam had not tried to focus her mind on the pendant recently, afraid that she'd get pulled into Danny's fragile mind, but every passing day the temptation to figure out what was going on got greater. It was vexing to say the least.

"We should go down to the lab and wait for Bruma," Sam said after everyone, well not really Danny because he still didn't understand completely what they were talking about, mulled over Valerie's information. "We can get in some ghost training while we're at it."

"Aw man!" Danny moaned as he dragged his feet down the stairs after Sam. He hated these ghost sessions…he always ended up with his pants down! He briefly wondered why that was so familiar, and after a short flash of a pretty Latino girl and a strict looking teacher he shook his head and followed the other three into his parents' lab.

He looked around at all the equipment as the others set things up so nothing valuable would be destroyed or damaged, taking in the alien, yet familiar science lab. It was the swirling green vortex that always captured his attention though…it was almost like it was calling to him. He didn't remember it doing that before…it had just been a pull, not so compelling. As if he couldn't control his body, Danny took a hesitant step towards the portal, following the strange voice that he could 'hear' in his head. He was s close…almost touching it when suddenly—

"Danny?" a concerned voice asked him as a small hand wrapped around his thin wrist. He looked up with startled, confused sapphire eyes into amethyst ones that mirrored the tone she was using. "Are you all right…do you want to lie down and skip the training session today?"

"No, no," Danny answered with a slight shake of his head, backing away from the portal, telling himself that the voice was just a figment of his tired mind. He strengthened his resolve and said in a firm voice, "I need to do these sessions if I want to get better…I can't keep relying on you, Tuck, and Val. If all these ghosts that didn't make some agreement with me are really planning an attack or whatever, than I'm going to have to be able to do something."

Sam just shook her head and smiled; forgetting her concern as quickly as it had came and led the boy back towards the center of the lab. He was starting to say things like he used to, becoming the boy he had been without even realizing it. Sam just hoped that once he fully remembered his time with Riley, and even the apartment incident two weeks prior to that, he would still be the same boy she had fallen in love with.

"Yeah yeah hero," Sam replied with a smirk as she walked away and joined the half circle around him. "Well, let's get started. You have to protect us helpless humans after all."

Danny scowled at her while both Tucker and Valerie snickered before transforming into his ghost state, jet-black turning to snowy white and deep azure changing into a glowing verdant. After a few failed attempts, and a week of practice, Danny was able to change into his ghost form as easily as he used to…to bad he couldn't control the powers that went with it. More often than not he ended up sinking into the floor or shooting out an ectoplasmic blast without warning.

They really didn't work on to much different stuff, mainly floating (which Danny had done pretty well), flying (not so much), and the occasional ectoplasm energy blasts (the reason why the other three all wore some type of armor made from Maddie Fenton's dreaded kitchen utensils). It usually ended up being a good laughing sessions for the four friends, and it helped Danny remember times when they would hang out, usually events right before a ghost attack. In all, even though Danny complained about the ghost training because he said it embarrassed him and made him feel like a five ear old; all four truly enjoyed the time they spent in the Fenton lab.

Just as this day's session was about to end, Sam deciding to have mercy on Danny after he sunk through the floor for the fourth time and careened into a wall while attempting flying, a familiar figure materialized in the lab, making a bright blue mist puff out of Danny's mouth. As he gasped and tried to scrap off his tongue, which now tasted funny and was cold apparently, Sam greeted the winter spirit with a smile and the other teens waved hello.

"Greetings children," Bruma said in her cold, slightly arrogant voice. This tone may have annoyed the three ghost fighters at first, Danny notwithstanding since he didn't even know her before he lost his memory, but hey eventually came to appreciate the frosty woman. Sam in particular liked her…she had a wicked sense of humor and an even sharper tongue when she loosened up from her cold demeanor. Not that she could help it all that much…she was the spirit of winter after all.

"Everything all right with the family Bruma?" Sam asked with the smile still in place as Danny finally managed to change back into human form, only to have his pants go intangible and fall down. As he growled and pulled them back up, Bruma answered the Goth's question.

"Yes, they are all well child," Bruma answered with a flick of her braided rainbow hair. "They send their greetings and hope to see you again…hopefully under more auspicious circumstances."

Sam blushed as she remembered their last full meeting with the Seasonal spirits. She had been straddling Danny in the hospital and he had woken up with a 'who the hell are you' face…it was embarrassing to say the least. "Yeah well…me too I guess. Any news from the Ghost Zone or Spirit Realm?"

"I'm interested if anything's going down with the ghosts," Valerie said suddenly, determined to have her worried voiced. "They've all been quiet and I can't help but get the feeling like there's a reason behind that."

"I do not believe your worry is unfounded Hunter," Bruma addressed Valerie with respect, using a name she deemed Val had earned. "However, I assure you that the spirits are doing everything in their power to make sure the ghosts do not cause serious damage during this time of Danny's healing. I would keep a sharp eye though on those you do fight…watch for tendencies or mannerisms not normally displayed understood?"

Valerie nodded her head with determination before flashing a smile at the stoic spirit. She had said her piece and was happy, let the winter spirit talk to Sam alone if she wanted. Bruma paused and silently asked Tucker if he had anything he wished to discuss, and when she received a no she gestured to Sam and the two headed towards a private sector of the lab away from the others. Once sure that the others weren't listening and were to busy laughing at Danny's amazing falling pants, Bruma began to speak in soft, low tones meant only for Sam.

"Are you well girl?" Bruma asked as she surveyed Sam for herself, taking in any and every possible sign of injury or fatigue.

"Fine, I'm fine," Sam answered with a wave of her hand at the spirit's mother-like actions sometimes. Flora, the older sister of the bunch, was much more maternal, but sometimes Bruma felt the need from time to time apparently.

"Good," the rainbow-tressed woman answered as she adopted a serious look on her face. "You do not have much longer girl…the ghosts, both good and ill, are beginning to stir at the absence of the hybrid. They know something is wrong with him and I believe it is more than just merit in the Hunter's observations. They are planning some sort of offensive, and unfortunately, they are aware that Clockwork bestowed Merlin's pendant to Danny…I fear they may try to reclaim it for the Ghost Zone. This puts you in danger…how much longer until he is well?"

"I don't know," Sam answered honestly, hanging her head at the new information being given to her. "He's remembering his life wonderfully and he's acting like his old self…but he hasn't really remembered his ghost powers and, as you can tell, he's completely forgotten how to use them. There's also the issue that he hasn't remembered fully his time with Riley…I don't know what that'll do to him Bruma."

"Well, you will just have to help him overcome it won't you?" Bruma asked imperiously before going to a softer tone at the sight of the girl's defiant gaze. Yes, she certainly did care for this hybrid, but he was going to need more than care if her suspicions were correct. "Girl, you must understand this. I know that you wish to shield the boy form the awful events that befell him, but if he cannot overcome those feelings he will not survive the conflict I fear is coming. I will not lie to you, most ghosts and spirits do not like the idea of a half human half ghost being…some call it abomination."

"Machina…that's what she called him," Sam murmured to herself before shooting wide lilac eyes into black ones.

"Yes, she is part of a sect that does not believe that he should exist…especially if he has a human mate. The spirits, while more lenient to the idea, think only of the prophecy revolving the hybrid and do not necessarily care about his life…you must admit, the idea of a creature being both alive and dead at the same time is something of a monstrosity."

"Danny is not a monster!" Sam hissed passionately, eyes and pendant glowing with emotion.

"Did I say he was?" Bruma answered calmly, raising an eyebrow delicately. "I said his condition is, not he himself. The other one, Vlad as you name him, is however, and does not put halfas in a good light. I wish I could say that things will be easy for Danny when he is well, but unfortunately he will be thrown into the politics of the Ghost Zone whether he wills it or not. You must help him work past what will trouble him girl, if you want him to live to father your children he must."

"I am not getting pregnant right now all right?" Sam hissed out in an almost desperate tone. "I'm eighteen for God's sake! I don't care if some stupid augury says that our children are going to be some kind of messiah like beings, you cannot force me to do something like this!"

"Samantha," Bruma sighed, using her name for once, that in and of itself made Sam calm down a bit. "I am not trying to anger you or force you to do something you do not wish. I am merely trying to inform you of the severity of the situation at hand now…you cannot coddle him any longer if things in the Ghost Zone continue down this path. There are dangerous and more fearful things residing in the Ghost Zone than knights and dragons…nightmares reside there as well. Creatures of old that you cannot possibly imagine…they want the pendant because it is a talisman…a hidden talisman in fact."

"Hidden talisman?" Sam asked with a frown as she fingered the necklace. "What does that mean?"

"I cannot further explain right now child," Bruma replied with a slightly apologetic expression on her glowing face. "I must leave to attend to matters in my realm…I feel my siblings' call. Just know this child…watch over the hybrid very closely, especially when you bring him near the portal in such a weakened state. I will see you again in three days."

"Wait! Why watch him near the portal? Did you see him acting strange there earlier too?"

"No child," Bruma answered with a grim look on her face. "But that is for me to worry about now, not you. Concentrate on making him well again child…I will see you in three days."

Before Sam could respond further, the winter spirit disappeared as swiftly as she had appeared, leaving Sam even tenser and worried than before. She wanted to desperately tell Tucker and Valerie the news she had just learned, but knew she couldn't…all four of the Seasons had forbade her from doing so. A security matter or something. She forced on a happy smile, one that she hoped would keep fooling her friends for the moment; it usually would never work with how perceptive Tucker was, but all the attention was focused on Danny currently so she stood a shot.

"Everything all right?" Valerie asked as Tucker and Danny joked about something the halfa apparently remembered in her absence.

Sam paused for a moment, considering her words carefully as a turmoil of emotions brewed in her mind. Everything was certainly not fine! She was being pressured to get pregnant by undead spirits, her boyfriend was still amnesiac and was possibly going to die by the end of the summer if he didn't remember everything, Ghost Zone denizens were apparently racist beings towards halfas, some attack was being planned, and not a single word had been heard from Vlad (which Sam deduced as a bad sign since it was he who sprung Riley out of prison to 'break' Danny)! Everything was not okay!

"Yeah," Sam replied with a smile to hide her scream. "Everything's fine."

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After Tucker and Valerie left, considerably kinder towards each other than they had been when they first arrived, Sam decided to take Danny on a small tour around Amity Park while there was still daylight left. They stopped at Casper High, the Nasty Burger, and the mall before heading back towards his house. Each place they stopped at, Danny remembered a little bit more, and Sam couldn't help but forget her worries somewhat at his child-like happiness whenever he regained a memory. Besides, thinking of him as a child was helping her keep her hormones under control…it was gross to want to make out and touch a kid.

Why was she having such a problem with this? Danny seemed perfectly fine over there, but then again, why shouldn't he? 'He remembers me as a friend, not as a lo-…girlfriend,' she thought to herself ruefully. It really was very frustrating…and everything else going on certainly wasn't helping her stress level.

The funny thing, Sam didn't know that Danny was having similar thoughts running through his head as they walked back up the stairs in his house towards his room where Sam's extra clothing lay. He had a violent nightmare the night before and, somehow, had called to her and she came…just like she always did when he 'called.' They really weren't the same as Sam's, mainly because he didn't remember them becoming a couple, at least not clearly, but he was still an eighteen year old boy walking alongside a pretty girl. Boys will be boys as they say.

And so, both having incredibly hormonal thoughts towards one another, the two best friends shared a slightly awkward pause as Sam gathered her things and prepared to leave. But she didn't…and he wasn't doing anything to stop her…God being a teenager with amnesia was a shitty situation!

"So," Sam said awkwardly, inwardly cursing herself for sounding like an eight grader with a crush. "Um, I think I need to get heading home… my parents will flip if I don't show up for dinner tonight. We've got some boring relatives from New Hampshire coming over for some reason…"

"Oh, that sucks," Danny said lamely, cursing himself for sounding like a moron. "Sorry about that. I uh—umm…I wish you didn't have to, you know, go."

Sam looked over at Danny with an unexpected gleam in her eyes, taking in the light flush on his face with a small smile. She opened her mouth to say something else, anything else to fill the awkward silence in between them, when any words she had died as he closed the distance between them and placed his lips on hers. It was neither soft nor hard, just a simple pressure before he pulled away and looked into her eyes with darkened blue orbs. It didn't take anymore words between them for their lips to meet again, her hands tangling in his dark locks and his finding their way to her waist, bringing her flush against him.

Neither really was thinking about what they were doing as their tongues slipped in and out of each other's mouths and as Danny found himself pinning the smaller girl between a wall and his own body. It all seemed so familiar to him, what he was doing…he knew this! She let out a soft moan in his mouth as he pressed closer, her hands slipping underneath his shirt to caress the newly healed skin beneath, his bandages now only covering the lower half of his torso. It was like every inch of their bodies was on fire…every touch excited a nerve and sent something shiver down to their toes.

Danny, not really sure where he got the idea from, placed his hands on Sam's slim hips and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist, which she did, breaking the kiss only long enough to smile at him and angel her head to better explore his mouth. He broke away from her mouth and began kissing his way down the arch of her neck, feeling something in him stir at the soft gasps she let out as he focused on an area and his hands slipped under her loose shirt, stroking her stomach. Whatever this feeling in him was, he recognized it…he could almost feel what she desperately wanted him to feel.

Sam, when she wasn't thinking about how nice she felt at the moment under Danny's ministrations, just kept thinking how ironic this whole thing was. Her and Danny hadn't really been together all that long, and most of that time was spent with him with amnesia, but here they were, going much farther physically than they did when he had all his memories. It was all very surreal…but a nice surreal.

Danny's lips found hers again as his hands moved farther up her torso, her hands returning to his soft hair that always looked so messy. Neither could see through the haze of passion that enveloped them so suddenly, and neither was going to stop…too bad nature has a funny sense of humor.

"Sam!" Jazz's voice came from downstairs, shocking both Danny and the aforementioned lilac-eyed girl out of their kiss. "Your mom's on the phone! She says that you Uncle Joseph and Aunt Miriam are waiting to see you! What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Sam yelled down in a flustered tone that made Danny wince due to his close proximity. She blew a wayward strand of hair out of her face that reminded Danny very much of a scene from a Disney movie about a mermaid and looked at Danny with a slightly shy look. "I guess that's the cue to stop."

"Uh yeah," Danny said with a lopsided smile that seemed to make his sparkle like the stars…oh God, now she was just getting ridiculous. He removed his hands from under her shirt as she unwrapped her legs from around his waist, both straightening out their rumpled clothing quickly. She grabbed up her things and made for the door quickly, hoping to hide the blush and doubt from the young man, but he stopped her by putting his arm in front of her before heading out the door.

"Sam…" he said softly, taking his eyes off the ground to look in her hopeful eyes. "I want to tell you what you want to hear but…but I can't. I feel it, I really do! What we just did…I know that feeling, but I can't remember it properly…you're worth more than just an empty word from someone who can't remember why. But I…I know it's there Sammy."

Sam wasn't even sure if he knew he had called her by the pet name he'd bestowed upon her when they were five, but it was the first time he'd said that in a month and it told her he really was telling the truth. He felt the love he had for her…he just had to remember why it was there. She reached up to grab his hand softly and kissed him chastely on the cheek and then on the lips before pulling back and smiling at him.

"I love you Danny. I know you'll remember and find your way back to me again. I'll be waiting…I don't care how long it takes." She opened the door and began walking down the hall when his voice stopped her and made her swivel around.

"I want to do that some more Sam," he said with a grin that made Sam think he was just fine, like he had been. "I want to do that a lot."

She laughed softly and nodded her head, showing wordlessly she agreed with him, and turned back around to walk down the stairs, say goodbye to the Fentons and Mikey, and exit the house to head towards her car. Right before she got in her car, she looked up to Danny's window and saw him smiling at her, a smile that she returned before climbing down into her car. As she started her car and drove away from the house towards her own home she looked out the window to look at the stars starting to peek out in the night sky.

'His eyes were glittering like the stars…so happy and bright…'

Oh, corniness be damned! If it was true, who was to argue?

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**A/N: **Hehe, I liked this one too. Only a mild lime here, but I bet I got some of you to blush…can't decide if I want to add anything heavier here in this story or not. Definitely happening in the sequel but right now all my smut attention's going towards a new story I have in the works…damn the plot bunnies. Damn them to hell I say!

Okay, action picks back up next chapter…would you like a sample? Well, since I haven't written it yet I can't do that, but I ca tell you some of the elements. There will be a very BAD memory, more fluff and not between who you might think, a villain and minions, and general baddiness, and…maybe a rebirth? Gosh, I'm so evil I can't stand it!

Well, you guys know the drill, review por favor and I'll bake you all virtually Danny Phantom brownies! I love hearing what everyone thinks! Until next time!

Oh, and this is for you Nons: "Chuck Norris once went to a frat party, and proceeded to roundhouse every popped collar in sight. He then drank three kegs and shit on their floor, just because he's Chuck Norris."

Osco


	11. Part 11: Rekindle

**A/N: **You all rock…enough said. Not too much here…this chapter was written under heavy influence of "Sanctuary" by Utada Hikaru…and it'll be the last chapter until after my finals, then I'll pick this up again. Sorry for the lateness…I've been somewhat busy and haven't had a lot of time to focus on this story. I hope you'll all forgive me !

Oh, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Norris Scott…after his comments about this story I'd feel sheepish if I didn't give him some sort of acknowledgement. I hope you like this buddy!

Enjoy everyone!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Eleven: Rekindle**_

Danny stared up at the ceiling of his room, a goofy smile playing on his lips as he thought back to the moment between him and Sam earlier that evening. He had felt so wound up for so long, and after kissing her like that, he felt only a warm feeling of contentment…he felt home. Not to say he didn't want to just talk and sew next time he saw her, he wanted to do _that_ again…and soon hopefully. He felt silly, that he was thinking like this, but he couldn't help it…was this the feeling Sam had with him for so long while he was sick?

He could feel her skin under his hands still, her heartbeat quickening and her breath hot against his neck, but what was remarkable was that he could remember feeling that before. Not exactly in a physical sense, but what he felt swirling around in his stomach and in his heart…that warmth and security that had been absent ever since he woke up in that hospital without a clue to who he was. It had been missing for a long time before as well, but somehow he knew that she had restored it for him then too…she was everything.

"Maybe remembering won't be so bad," Danny whispered to himself as he grinned up at the ceiling. "I mean, there must be some bad stuff there, but if that means I can feel what Sam feels again…maybe it'll be worth it. With her I feel as if all my fears and lies just melt away…I think I need to do this."

Nodding his head with a strengthened resolve, Danny sat up in bed and sat down in a semi-lotus position…there was only so much flexibility he could achieve...and tried to relax his mind. Maybe he was making this decision rashly, and he had to admit his eighteen year old hormones weren't exactly a small factor in this decision either, but he felt like he had to start trying to remember. He had to let Sam know how he felt…remembering seemed to be the best way to repay her for putting up with him for so long.

He could feel brief flashes, a certain smell or image popping in his head for a moment before skittering away, and he frowned as he opened his blue eyes in confusion. Why was this so hard? Maybe he needed to look at something…whenever he looked at Sam's pictures the memories came so much easier, maybe that's what he needed to do. He pushed himself off his bed and started to head for his door when he paused at the door handle.

He didn't know where his mother kept any of the photo albums.

Looking up to his ceiling with a frustrated look on his face, letting a few curses out in a mumbled breath, Danny made his way back into his room, turning on a small bedside lamp to illuminate the room in a soft, yellow glow. He made his way to sit back down on his bed when an idea bloomed in his mind. Maybe he didn't have pictures to help prompt his memory, but maybe something else would help. Making up his mind with a small sound of affirmation, he made his way over towards his full length mirror and gazed back at his reflection.

Wide, inquisitive blue eyes met his gaze, almost hidden under his fringe of black hair that hung across his forehead, and his lips were slightly parted as he looked himself over. He decided he looked infinitely better this time than the last time he had looked at himself. He tore off the loose shirt he wore to bed and gazed at his bandaged, but healing torso, smiling slightly at the definition there no longer hidden by mottled bruises. His wrist had almost full mobility again, something that his family attributed to ghost healing capabilities, and his ribs were almost completely better. The color had returned to his complexion, a healthy, slightly tanned complexion instead of the pallid skin before. He smiled a bit wider as he appraised how his healing was progressing, but that smile fell as something else caught his gaze.

Around his neck, although very faded and hardly noticeable, were very neat rows of finger shaped bruises, a few nicks here and there to suggest long nails as well. He tentatively reached up and brushed his fingers across those marks, trying to remember where they had originated from. A sudden flash of cold shook his body, something that had nothing to due with the comfortable temperature in his room, and he let out a gasp as he pulled his hand away from his neck sharply. His eyes were no longer inquisitive, but wide and filled with fear for some unknown reason…why did he feel so afraid and…and angry?

His head no longer felt light and carefree, it was now pounding and sending sharp blasts of pain down his spine…he looked back up into his eyes and, for some reason, wasn't surprised to find he wasn't alone. He saw a flash of yellow and a pair of round glasses on a smirking face that was both identical to his own and not. _Are you sure you're ready_ the voice seemed to ask, glowing yellow orbs full of wisdom and knowledge. Danny nodded his head as he squint his eyes shut when a fresh flash of pain rolled through his head…he wanted the pain to stop and to remember again.

"_All right…but know that you are just trading one pain for another…do not let it overwhelm you…"_

Danny whipped his head back up to the mirror, but he didn't see his reflection…instead he saw himself curled up in a corner of a dark room, clearly beaten and shivering from something besides the cold. His eyes widened and wanted to look away, but he felt transfixed to the scene playing out before him. The only problem was that this wasn't a scene from a movie…it was his life, his past. A cold wave flooded over him and he felt himself fall to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself protectively as he watched men in black hurt him.

"_Looks like the little freak is just a tame beast with this collar eh boys?"_

"_Look at him shiver…don't see what the boss likes about this little fucker."_

"_Boss just wants to break him dumb shit…take that pretty light out of his eyes before ripping out his heart!"_

"_Come on boys, Boss'll be here soon, we gotta make sure his little toy is presentable."_

"_Yeah…his whore of a sister won't last too much longer with Riley…then you'll really be in for it kid."_

His sister? Suddenly he saw her, Jazz, in the middle of a huge room beside a cold, ruthless looking man, making some sort of agreement…rough hands had pulled his bruised arms back and he saw Jazz turn her saddened but unmovable teal eyes towards him.

She…she sacrificed herself for him…she agreed to let that man; Riley was his name, sleep with her to keep him safe! More images flitted through his mind, some good and most bad, before they came to stop on another image tainted with pain and fear.

_Those men had left, and it hurt to even stand now, but somehow he managed it. He had trouble breathing, but he hid that as the door opened once more and a hulking, huge man stood in the doorway, looking at him the way a lion looks at an innocent, grazing antelope out on the Serengeti. He knew this man…_

_Martino…that was his name._

_He walked forwards and muttered something vulgar in his ear before backhanding his battered frame into an adjacent wall…he could smell the stench of sweat and fish on this disgusting excuse for a man. He pushed his body off the ground with bound hands like he had done so many times before…he may have been naïve when he first arrived here, but he wasn't anymore; he knew what this thing wanted…_

"He wanted me…" Danny whispered to himself in a tone that was both horrified and full of rage. He closed his blue eyes, not wanting to see what he knew had to come next…suddenly the way everyone had been treating him made a ton of sense…but the image kept rolling and the voices could be heard now as well.

"_Well aren't you full of spunk today kid?" that voice grated out…sounding venomous and full of lust. "I like that…"_

_He spit in the man's face…that wasn't the first time either. This had been happening for two days, ever since Jazz made the deal with Riley…Martino wouldn't try to rape him but that didn't mean he didn't try anything else. He had called it 'education' in that twisted voice of his…_

_A fist collided into his already bruised stomach, forcing any air he had in his body out and his form to crumble easily into this man's hands. He felt himself being pulled up and against the behemoth's body forcefully and a sharp jab in his leg letting the hurt teen know just how 'excited' Martino was by this action. He forced down the bile that was threatening to bubble up…he wouldn't let this creature know how sick he made him!_

"_Do you like that?" the voice grated out again…a sick smile of twisted pleasure was no covering his broad, ugly face. "Bet a little freak like you does…"_

_He didn't like it though, and with what little energy he had left he raised a knee vigorously into the man's raging hard-on as the man began a grinding motion. It was almost funny, to see a man that large topple to the floor in agony…almost funny if it wasn't for the situation. He didn't look too happy or pleased anymore…the world started to spin and the next thing he knew, blood was coming up in his hacking coughs. He didn't know how much more of this he could take…_

Danny fell to the floor completely with a cry, clutching his head as the images threatened to take over…but the words from before echoed in his head…he couldn't let this beat him! So he kept watching…oblivious to the screams he was letting out and the alarmed people entering his room. All he saw was the mirror playing his memories like a film. He could feel it coming and he was afraid, but he wouldn't look away…

_A hand trailed down his arm, and a tongue licked the side of his face, trying to mark a property that already belonged to another…_

_Those rough lips crashed down on his own, drawing blood with how hard they were sucking and biting him…_

_They traveled to his neck for a brief moment, biting as a vampire would before they latched back onto his lips…_

_That foreign tongue was invading now…probing and nearly gagging him as it forced its way down his throat…_

"No…no stop it…get away…"

_The huge hands traveled under his shirt and ripped the ratty material away…_

_They roamed up and down his broken torso, resting nowhere and then grabbing onto his hips in an almost bone-crushing grip…_

_He tried to buck away, but was forced in place by one large hand on his throat and another on his stomach…_

_The hand on the stomach drifted away and the sound of buckles being unclasped hurriedly filled the air…_

_Hands clawed at the hand around his trachea and he could see the huge man's pants pool around his ankles…that other hand reached for him now to be rid of the same article of clothing and the grin looking straight into his soul was enough to make anyone cringe in fear…_

"No…no leave me alone! Get off…please stop it…"

_The sound of screaming…his own…filled the air, but it was one of rage, not pain as he thought would happen…._

_The ceiling began to fall, and the body over him was forced away…_

_It collapsed on his already dead body…the scream…his Ghostly Wail tore that man apart…only dead black eyes stared up at him before being crushed by debris…_

_An unimaginable pain coursed through his system, but he kept on screaming…_

_Everything went black…it was finally over…_

Danny wasn't even sure he was aware that the images of his life continued to pour over him…and he wasn't sure if he was even still alive anymore…all he was aware of were the warm arms encircled around him. They were murmuring to him, telling him he was okay now and that everything was all right…he wanted to believe that voice desperately.

But…he had just discovered something terrible. Maybe he hadn't been raped…but he had killed someone in order to prevent that from happening. He had KILLED someone! Those cold eyes that deserved death were lifelessly staring at him…did he have any right deciding if that man was to live or die? How was he any better than them, the ones he fought, now?

He didn't deserve…he didn't deserve those arms around him. He was dirty…in more ways than one…why would anyone want him now? Why had everyone been so worried about him and helped take care of him? He was nothing more than a killer of men…nothing would ever change that.

The arms around him disappeared and he heard shouts of alarm…but he couldn't open his eyes. He let out another chocked sob as someone yelled for him to stay where he was, that they would protect him. More images flooded his synapse, but this time, feelings went with them and he felt himself awakening in a sense…a part of him was waking up. He could hear someone humming to him and when he opened his tear filled, blue pools; he saw another image in front of him.

"_Life will always be a hard path child," a beautiful form said to him, her tall figure standing beneath a huge oak tree. "Speak my name and listen to what those inside you have to say…it is time to wake up and fight for those you love."_

"_Are you going to just sit here and let everyone fight your enemies?" a green blur asked in a superior tone. "Get up and fight you weakling!"_

"_They will all fall without assistance," silver light replied in a monotone voice._

"_Use us Danny…we're a part of you, use us to fight," those yellow eyes from before murmured to him._

"_I'm not bad all the time…use me to get revenge on the one who caused this entire mess for your family…don't hold me back anymore!" a blazing red light shouted._

"_Listen to Righteous Anger, Danny," a melodic gold voice spoke in his ear, a black and purple being smiling next to him. "And whatever happens, don't let go of me…don't lose your Hope…"_

"_Speak my name Danny and become who you once were," the beautiful maiden said again, smiling at him in a reassuring way. "Who am I…and who are you?"_

Danny's eyes snapped all the way open and then narrowed as all the images suddenly stopped…he didn't need to see them anymore anyway. He pushed himself off the ground and stood tall before looking out the window at the blasts outside…there was a fight happening outside. The blue eyes glowed like blue flame, but quickly turned to green fire as he walked towards the window and away from the sanctuary his friends and family made for him. Two glowing silver rings appeared at his slender waist and worked their way in opposite directions, changing him from human to specter in seconds and by the time he was at the window, he was no longer human.

"Your name is Selene," Danny all but growled out as glowing green energy mingled with a new purple color swirled around him, offsetting the brilliant white of his hair. "And my name is…I'm Danny Phantom!"

He flew out of his bedroom and towards the shouts of battle…memories now restored and powers charged up and under control. He had a date with someone who had caused enough pain for everyone…he was going to end it tonight.

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Tucker and Valerie were in the middle of their ghost rounds for the night and they already were ready to burst from shear frustration. It probably didn't help that they had been ignoring their feelings for each other for so long, but the complete absence of all ghosts was also starting to get to them. Now, while many people would think this a good sign, both of the teenagers knew better; quiet nights just meant that a big problem was brewing for later. After circling the park in her hover board for the fifth time, Valerie heaved a weary sigh and floated down to where Tucker was waiting on a bench.

Well that was spectacular…he was sleeping.

Valerie scowled at the sleeping boy as she landed and, with a quick press of a button, was dressed in her usual day outfit again, and landed beside him with her hands on her hips. She cleared her throat loudly to wake the sleeping young man and grinned mirthlessly as his eyes fluttered open to stare at her. She smiled sweetly at him as his brain processed why he was on the receiving end of the infamous Grey "you're so getting your butt handed to you" smile…it didn't take all that long as he jumped up from the bench quickly and straightened his glasses.

"Uh…how long was I out?" Tucker asked with a shaky, nervous laugh, fixing his green eyes anywhere than Valerie's brown ones.

"Probably as long as I've been patrolling," Valerie answered scathingly, immensely bitter that the techno-lover got to sleep while she was stuck doing double patrol…covering Danny's considerably larger turf while he was sick was starting to wear her down. "So…let's think really quick shall we? I've been circling this park for about twenty minutes…it takes a few minutes for anyone to fall asleep…so, about nineteen minutes Tucker. Did you even wait for me to take off?"

His silence did nothing to bolster her confidence in her partner. "I'll take that as a resounding no."

"Honestly Val, can you blame me?" Tucker snapped back, stress and tension finally making him lash out at whoever he saw. Unfortunately for him, that person happened to be Valerie…an extremely volatile young woman who had a very large ecto-gun in her bag. "There's nothing going on…nothing! It's been getting worse every day for a week now…I know this isn't a good sign but we can't keep wearing ourselves down right now! Especially if what Bruma said ends up being true."

"So," Valerie said in a dangerously clam tone as she approached the bespectacled boy. "Because you're tired and bored, you think it's all right for you to get a nap while I'M busting my ass right now? Don't for one second Tucker Foley think that you're the only one on edge here!"

"I don't," Tucker replied, his own voice raising a pitch to match Valerie's intensity. "But I think deliberately looking for something that isn't there IS a waste of time that certainly isn't helping us any! Come on Val, we can't just keep doing this every night because things are rough right now! We have to be strong for Danny and we can't do that if we keep hiding all our--"

"I AM being strong for Danny," Valerie seethed through clenched teeth. Her own limbs were visibly shaking now and all she wanted to do was throttle the frustrated looking boy. How she wanted to throttle him was an entirely different matter however… "Don't you dare presume to patronize me Foley…I do not need you, or anyone else, to baby-sit me! Stop being a chauvinistic bastard and just keep your nose out of other people's business!"

Tucker didn't respond to the enraged girl right away…mainly because he was so shell-shocked by the ferocity of the brown-eyes girl's words. This was about much more than falling asleep on a park bench, Tucker knew that, but he had no inkling how to calm this girl without endangering himself or their friendship. This had been building for some time, and they had ignored it for the most part but…but now it seemed like it couldn't by avoided any longer.

The main problem with this problem, Tucker thought as he stared into those fiery brown eyes so full of worry, hurt, and anger, was that it was more than just one thing. The mutual, but ignored attraction was putting them on edge, but it was the extra ghost hunting, the suspiciously decreased ghost activity in both Amity and the Ghost Zone, Sam's secrecy, and the threat of Danny not remembering as quick as one would hope that was pushing both teen's endurance to the test. Tucker knew how he felt about the situation…he felt useless. Sure, Danny remembered his face and the fun times they had, but he couldn't remember his feelings towards his computer loving best friend. To say he understood was true…but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

And Val…Tucker knew exactly what was bothering her. Someone as strong and dependable as Valerie Grey was bound to have some control issues and a wicked protective streak that could get ugly if pushed to far. She had no control over any of the problems going on right now…and she more than likely felt like she had let Danny down because he was so hurt. It didn't matter to her that it was in no way her fault that Riley and Martino messed up their blue eyed friend so badly…all she saw was failure to protect someone she loved.

God, things were so messed up right now…Tucker didn't have a clue on how to fix anything and Valerie was still standing in front of him waiting for some sort of reply. The words she said early finally caught up to his brain, and despite his usual calm demeanor, Tucker felt his ire rising at her cold words. These had been ignored long enough!

"Well sorry for the bother Valerie," Tucker forced out as he looked away from her eyes and towards the cloudy night sky. "I didn't know that me caring about you and worrying about you was considered patronizing in your books. Next time, I'll be sure to let you exhaust yourself to death rather than ask how you're feeling and if you need a break. Hell, I'll just start ignoring you from now on if that's what you want…that way it won't seem like I'm 'babying' you…don't ever confuse my caring for you with anything else Val…"

Tucker trailed off, not really angry or brave enough to say the rest of what he wanted to say, and looked the startled girl straight in the eyes. Under different circumstances, Tucker would have felt a swell of pride at the surprised look on the normally hard-to-surprise girl's face, but now wasn't the time. In one swift, painful moment, Tucker had just revealed that it was more than just sexual attraction he felt for Miss Grey…in fact, it was much more than that. Not so much in his words per say, but more in his eyes as they stared into the other's face.

Valerie, to her credit, was feeling somewhat shame-faced for yelling at him now after his confession…it seemed the pressure of the past few weeks had finally cracked her usually composed resolve. She knew she must look ridiculous, opening and closing her mouth as a fish would as she stared at the bespectacled boy, for once at a total loss for words. And then, maybe it was more stress from the day or something else just as ridiculous that guided her next action, she leaned forward and closed whatever distance was between them. Then, to her current horror as her body took over her higher functions, that distance was completely cut off as he lips crashed down on Tucker's.

It didn't take the boy a half-second before he responded to her kiss with as much fervor as her, his arms encircling the strong fighter in a bone-crushing embrace. Their kiss wasn't exactly neat as they started out, their underlying attraction and frustration over the past few weeks forcing the kiss to be hard and dominating as tongues dueled and teeth gnashed together a few times. They needed this though, they needed it to be rough and wild for a moment before it could calm…just like their souls.

It did eventually, and the death grip they each had on the other was loosened as the kiss relaxed and they let the passion from moments before melt into something that mirrored deep affection. The kiss, even at the beginning, was relatively tame, neither teen going beyond the upper torso with their hands as they explored each other's mouths…but it never needed to be anything more than that. The kiss was reassurance, comfort, and something unexplainable wrapped into something both parties could express…not all people were as good with words as Sam Manson after all.

Eventually, the two broke apart, the need for oxygen starting to become serious and they both looked at each other as they regained their breath. Neither smiled shyly at the other, and neither moved their other limbs from their current positions…asking if they were blushing would be unheard of. They simply looked as each other and their eyes understood one another, nothing more needed to be said at that moment. Maybe neither one could say the words yet, but given time they would be able too, for now the look was enough. Tucker leaned forward once more and placed a chaste kiss on Valerie's temple before smiling softly at her relieved sigh.

"I think we needed that," Valerie said finally after the comfortable silence ended. She looked up into the green eyes of the boy still embracing her and tucked a loose strand of chocolate hair behind her ear, returning his smile with a small one of her own.

"Probably," Tucker replied as he rested his forehead on the girl's. He heard her chuckle and let out one of his own as the two disengaged from their embrace. As he stared at the powerful woman before him, Tucker couldn't help but grin at his luck…he thought she would slap him rather that kiss him after his chastisement. The return of her deeper feeling was a comfort during such chaotic times…one thing that he didn't mind not being in control of and one thing that he thought he understood. Maybe that was a contradiction, Tucker mused silently as he walked over and started to pack away the ghost hunting gear into his own backpack, smiling when Valerie joined him. But…that was all right…it was something he could lean on right now and that was good enough.

"We should probably head back," Valerie said after all their gear was present and accounted for. "My dad will flip if I'm out past ten again tonight and I don't even want to know what your parent's will do…"

"I'll just tell them I was out with Danny or something," Tucker answered with a shrug, sending his…his something…a sly grin as they made their way out of the park. "Danny's folks finally knowing about his ghost powers can be pretty convenient from time to time…like when we need an alibi about what we've been doing all day and where we're always out at during night."

"You got a point," Valerie answered in a giggle, something that usually didn't escape her mouth, as she latched onto Tucker's hand. "I swear, Jack keeps going on about how we're his task force or something! You'd never think someone's father would be so happy about his son and his teenage friends out fighting ghosts and other baddies all the time…"

"Well, Jack Fenton's not your ordinary guy…neither is Maddie for that instance…nor Jazz…oh hell, the whole family's whacked!"

Valerie canted her head in agreement as they started to walk down the street and past their now old high school…it was still surreal to view the place as a part of their past nearly two months later. She started to open her mouth to voice these thoughts to her techno-loving…something…when her wrist band starting to beep loudly and obnoxiously. Now, most people would wonder what sort of new, annoying trend would be going on if he or she heard a bracelet begin to beep, thinking a new Furby-type fad was upon the masses now. However, neither Tucker nor Valerie were normal people and immediately whipped out weapons or changed into a sleek, ghost-hunting uniform as the beeping grew louder in noise.

Not every day people had ghost-detecting trackers disguised as watches around their wrists.

Both ghost fighters looked around warily for signs of rogue specters, searching sky, land, and buildings for the floating fiends, but both shot the other a confused look when nothing revealed itself. Valerie opened her mouth to voice her worry when her voice was cut off for the second time that night as an ear-splitting scream filled the air, followed by the very real sound of people screaming. They both uncapped their hands from around their ears and opened their eyes in time to see a dozen or so swirling ghost portals open in the sky, casting a sickly shade of viridian across the nearly black sky.

'What the _hell_ is going on!" Valerie yelled as the panicked sounds of very alive humans continued to grow louder, causing both teen's legs to start moving again as they sprinted towards their destination. Their own idea of home fled their thoughts…they needed to get to the Fenton home and pronto.

"I have no fucking idea," Tucker yelled back as they turned a sharp corner, Valerie whipping out her hover board and jumping onto it in a fluid motion. She paused for a moment, reflecting on how serious and confusing this situation must be to cause Tucker to swear, but she dismissed that quickly as she flew over to where the boy was still running and bade him to jump aboard. He did so, albeit with much less grace than she herself had, but after balancing himself and wrapping his arms around her waist securely, she zoomed off as fast as she could towards the FentonWorks in the distance.

Tucker would unhook an arm from his embrace every now and then to fire an ecto blast at a stray ghost every now and then, Valerie following in suit with her blaster, as the ghostly beings flooded Amity Park. People were trying to fight them off…after Pariah Dark's siege on the city, most thought it prudent to at least know how to defend against ghosts, but the sheer amount of the ghosts was unnerving. Green and red was starting to cover the streets as ectoplasm and blood mingled together in small streams.

"What the fuck is going on?" Tucker whispered under his breath as they approached the Fenton home, noticing the large swirl of gray and black clouds above the home. Valerie couldn't answer the question as she was asking that to herself in her head, and she kept on her guard as the hover craft landed softly to let Tucker off. Valerie paused just long enough to see Sam come bursting out of the house, her hand clutched in a death grip around that stupid necklace hanging from her neck, before kicking off into the air with her blaster at the ready.

Valerie narrowed her brown eyes behind her protective visor and noticed that most of the ghosts seemed to be avoiding this place…why? She saw Jack and Maddie Fenton burst from the house moments later in the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle and drive off into the city where most of the fighting was occurring. The hunter looked back down for a moment to see Tucker and Sam staring wide eyed at some space in front of her…that couldn't be a good sign she thought to herself grimly.

Whipping herself around with her blaster leveled on her shoulder, Valerie let loose a warlike cry and fired countless blasts at different ghost surrounding her before she felt something very hot and very hard slam into her. She could hear the worried shouts from those below her as she and her hover board went careening into Danny's neighbor's yard and wall…then everything went black.

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Sam couldn't begin to describe the emotions flowing through her as she lay in bed and stared up at her star-speckled ceiling. Ecstatic, elated, exuberant…wow, a lot of happy words started with 'e'…oh well! She smiled for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night and giggled again like a school girl with a crush. Maybe later she would find herself embarrassed over this behavior, but right now she couldn't care less because there was only one thing running through her mind.

Danny had kissed her…and I mean really kissed her!

It had been over a month…nearly two…since she had felt that kind of feeling, it was nice to know it still existed. Sure, she had kissed him in the hospital right before he woke up, but that was different; he hadn't kissed her back then. While Sam didn't believe that their relationship was, or was going to be, purely based on physical acts, it was very reassuring that those factors still existed inside that mixed up boy. The flame that she felt inside her as he had pressed her against the wall with boldness she had never known before outside of his Phantom form was intoxicating. And, it wasn't just her feelings either.

Sam wrapped her hand around the purple pendant around her neck…for once thanking the damn thing for being useful. The feeling that the stone let her feel coming from Danny were the same as her own…attraction, affection, care, and even love…he just didn't fully understand why he was feeling those things due to his amnesia. He had felt at peace while…erm, engaged with her and that was a rare thing for him, even without the amnesia! Maybe those thoughts were selfish, this need for him to need her like she did for him, but Sam didn't really mind after tonight. Another smile covered her face as she let out a total un-Sam girlish sigh.

She heard her mother calling downstairs…she had a phone call or something. Sam didn't pause to think if this was strange that someone would call the house phone instead of her cell phone, she was much to happy to be suspicious right now, and she bounded, yes bounded, down the stairs to retrieve the phone from her mother. She flashed her grandmother a happy smile as she waltzed into the main foyer and was about to let out a pleasant greeting when a blinding pain attacked her head. She let out a small gasp and her eyes grew fuzzy as she felt her self lower to the ground, an outline of her mother hurrying towards her before she had to shut her eyes to keep from vomiting.

The violet light behind her eyes was soft at first before it erupted into a harsh flare…it hadn't done this for weeks! She was about to wonder further about this when three very worried looking figures appeared before her…two of which she recognized and one she did not. The yellow one straightened his glasses in a nervous fashion before opening his mouth.

"_Sam! You must hurry and help Danny…he's remembering everything, and I mean EVERYthing! You have to help him or else you won't be able to weather what's coming!"_

'What?' Sam asked back mentally to Knowledge as she glanced at the bouncing and black-clad Love. 'He's remembering? And what about what's coming…what's going on?'

"_Samantha,"_ a gold, and elf like looking Danny answered with a soft smile on his calm face. He had a melodic voice that seemed to warm up Sam despite the worry growing within her…but his voice seemed so weak and frail. _"You do not have that much time to spare…as we speak there are forces within the Ghost Zone which stir and mean to create havoc in the land of the Living. You must go and guide Danny as he recalls what he does not want to see…and then you must trust what your heart and feelings tell you when the storm hits."_

"_Hope is right Sam,"_ Knowledge replied with a grave look on his countenance as he evaluated Sam…whose hand was being held by violet-eyed Love. _"Hurry and help him or else this town will not stand a chance, despite the inhabitants strength."_

'Why?' Sam thought as she looked at silent Love, not expecting answer. Instead, it was the gold one, Hope, who answered, the clam look still intact.

"_Because…it is the Phantom which is needed to win this battle…the Phantom and the stone of Merlin working together and he can only be set free if Daniel remembers everything about his life…please go to him."_

It seemed a silly thing that they were begging her to go…she was planning on it but she had wanted some sort of answers first. She warmly embraced Love, who smiled back happily…that one didn't seem upset at all about what seemed to be going on…strange. She nodded at both Hope and Knowledge and began to feel her mind drift out of the pendant's hold. Before the connection was completely severed, Hope floated in front of her to grab hold of Love's hand and looked her in the eye. He really looked androgynous up close, almost to beautiful to be male but definitely not female either and his golden eyes only seemed to enhance to mystical air around him…why did his voice still sound so weak though?

"_Samantha, please listen to this and remember. Do not lose hope or faith during the trial ahead…if you do not keep hold of your Hope, Danny will not be able to keep hold of me and he will not win without changing terribly. He will not face pleasant things in what is to come…he is not facing them now and that is why you MUST show him the way…do you understand?"_

'Yes…' Sam replied uncertainly, confusion marring her features as everything continued to fade away. 'But…why me? Why not his family or Tucker…Val even…is it because of this necklace?'

"_Because child…" _Hope replied with a laugh that sounded like flowing water. _"Every person needs a Light to guide them from and out of the Darkness and that is what you are to Danny. You are his Light…so go out there and show him the correct path."_

The three figures faded away abruptly and Sam opened her eyes with a gasp, nearly knocking her mother backwards as she clambered back to her feet. She could hear her mother yelling at her to tell what was wrong, and her father kept trying to tell her that Danny was probably fine, but Sam knew better. "Stay inside," she said with strong conviction as she fished out her car keys from her purse by the door and then laced up her combat boots. "And, don't leave until you don't hear fighting anymore…I'm going over to Danny's…I'll see you later."

She hurried out the door before she could fully understand her parents' protests; hopefully her grandmother would keep them from following her. She ran to her car and practically jumped into the driver's seat, ignoring the fact that she was currently, for some strange and ironic reason, wearing a white slip and combat boots as she turned on the ignition and tore out of her driveway. All her other night wear had been dirty…this stupid but comfortable slip was the only thing she had and in her good mood, she didn't think anything of it. Now she was off to presumably fight some battle Bruma thought was brewing in a dress…the irony of it was hilarious.

She gave a silent thanks to whatever God was up there as she tore down the streets towards Danny's house, the streets relatively empty on a Thursday night. It didn't take all of five minutes for her to arrive at the still, normal looking house…she frowned at herself as she parked, turned off the car, and exited hurriedly at that thought. Was she expecting some kind swirling vortex of doom to be positioned over the Fenton home or something? Okay, maybe that wasn't to far off, but she didn't care anymore as she swung open the front door and bounded up the familiar stairs two at a time.

She hurried past both Fenton parents as they were crowded outside Danny's door, the yells and gasps of pain already reaching her ears, and pushed past Mikey to collapse on the floor beside Danny next to Jazz. She thought she heard Jazz say something about how he just started screaming and writhing on the floor, but Sam didn't respond with words, opting instead to cradle the shaking boy in her arms and whisper comforting words to him.

"You'll be all right Danny," Sam whispered into his midnight hair after pressing a kiss to his temple, rocking him slightly to help him relax. He didn't though…but she kept at it anyway. "Everything's going to be all right…but you have to let them through Danny. You have to get past this…don't let them win Danny, you're so much stronger than any of them ever were! You're stronger than Dash…and you're stronger than Vlad. Riley and Martino didn't beat you…you're still here and you're still fighting. Dark Dan was beat by you when you were fourteen…you can do this love."

Danny tried to struggle out of her arms crying something that sounded like, "I'm a monster…I don't deserve this," before going silent again. Sam just held him closer and began to sing a song she had heard not to long ago…from some game Tucker was fond of. Danny had liked it…he said it was soothing…maybe he would still find it that way now.

"_You and I, there's a new land,_

"_Angels in flight…_

"_My sanctuary, my sanctuary…_

"_Where fears and lies, they melt away,_

"_Music will tie,_

"_What's left of me, what's left of me now…"_

Sam's voice trailed off abruptly as the startled gasps of Jazz and her parents filled the air, drawing the purple-eyed girl to look out the window and she too felt herself gasp. A sickening scream filled the air, followed by those of people outside, one minute blaringly loud and then just a gentle buzz. Outside in the sky, swirling green ghost portals were appearing out of nowhere, and she could see ghosts start to flood out of them. Sam turned around to see both Fenton parents had ran from the room, and Jazz followed not to long after with Mikey in tow…then her pendant began to burn.

Sam let out a surprised yell and her hand flew around the amethyst as it burned even brighter…it didn't burn her though despite the heat. She turned back towards the window and saw Valerie, with Tucker on board arrive on her hover board outside and she felt a need to be out there with them. She cast one last worried glance down at Danny…who now seemed to be in a deep sleep. She told him to stay here, even though that seemed redundant, before getting up and rushing downstairs. Something told her she shouldn't be near Danny…probably the pendant, so she threw the front door open and ran into Tucker who had just climbed off the board.

"Tucker!" Sam yelled as she ran and grasped his forearm with one of her hands, the other still clutching the pendant as she saw Valerie take off into the sky again.

"Sam, what the hell is going on?" Tucker yelled as the sounds of yells, and blasts continued to barrage their hearing. She opened her mouth to answer when the very loud sound on the Fenton RV distracted them as it went screaming out of the driveway and into town where most of the blasts were happening.

"Where's Danny?" Tucker yell again as they looked up to see Valerie fighting off ghosts with her blaster.

"He's…I don't kn--" Sam began before something materialized behind Valerie, something that made her gasp in fear and rage. Tucker looked up with her and his eyes widened in shock…he was surprised and not at the same time and now Valerie was in danger! The huntress in the air whipped towards the figure and began to decimate the ghosts all around him before being hit with a pinkish blast that sent her flying into the neighbor's wall. Tucker let out a yell and tried to run over towards the downed girl when another pink blast stopped him and forced him back in front of Sam.

"My, my children," a sneering voice said from above as he flicked his cape over his shoulder to stare down at the two teens standing there. "Things don't look good for you right now do they? Tell me my dear girl…just how is Daniel doing these days?"

"Go to hell Vlad!" Sam yelled with as much hate as she could muster, her hands forming small fists at her sides and the pendant glowing a violent indigo that almost seemed black. "You're the reason he was so hurt in the first place…you were scared of him so you--"

"Tut-tut now dear," Vlad replied calmly as he sent a pink blast at the two, something that made them duck quickly and cover their heads as it shattered the doorframe behind them. "Let's not dive into an angry rant shall we? Besides, you have more important things to worry about right now…like your lives."

Sam felt a growing sense of desperation grow within her as she and Tucker grasped hands and rolled out of the way of another blast, this one hitting a window and sending heated glass everywhere, one which cut Tucker's leg. She looked up fiercely at the smirking villain while the bespectacled boy hissed in pain, determined to not show him fear as he readied another blast and fired…

But, it never hit. Instead, Sam and Tucker found themselves staring at a glowing green shield and they both looked above them as a voice filled the air.

"…anny Phantom!" a voice yelled from above and a snowy-haired boy with fiery green eyes flew out of the bedroom, green energy cackling around him ominously as he stared balefully at the red-eyed halfa in front of him. A cliché western movie moment happened as the two rivals stared each other down, and Sam half expected to see a tumble weed float in between them when Vlad's voice interrupted the silence.

"So…back to normal are we Daniel?" Vlad Plasmius sneered as he multiplied himself and all four of him formed pink blasts in their hands. "Do you think you're up to par to spar with me? Or…are you too traumatized from your recent kidnapping to even stand another man to touch you?"

"That won't be a problem Plasmius," Danny said calmly as the green energy became intermingled with purple and white lights as well, his own eyes alive with a manic anger. "Because I don't see any _men_ here right now…just me and some monster who pretends to be one…"

Both let out angry cries as they rushed at each other, energies erupting into a light show as they collided and began their deadly dance…

"_My heart's a battleground…"_

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**A/N: Evil grin…**Please review!


	12. Part 12: Burn

**A/N: **Uh…sorry this is a bit late. Let's just say there was some drama going on with one of my grades and it was consuming my time…really didn't mean to make you all wait longer than necessary! Oh, and you guys all rock. Seriously…we're over twenty reviews for the last chapter alone…that just blows my mind. You guys are so great and I really appreciate it!

I just got back from my Alaskan cruise…they made us pay for internet use so that's partially why this isn't done sooner . The other reason is that I kind of lost my muse for a little bit…he left me while I took my finals and then obviously took a vacation without my knowledge. Of course he comes back as I start my own…sadistic bastard.

So…I take it you guys liked the last chapter. Hold on then and enjoy this one!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Twelve: Burn**_

By the time that Jazz's head caught up with what was happening around her, she found herself staring outside from her room with Mikey by her side, watching as different ghosts set the town of Amity Park ablaze. The starts of screams could be heard from around the city, and the buildings were painted in a dark glow created by the ectoplasm shooting through the air. Mikey kept asking her what was going on as he stared outside beside her; she could hear the worry and fear in his voice and couldn't blame him…a town being attacked by undead spirits had that effect on people.

However, she found herself relatively calm as she stared out at the beginnings of what was going to end up being horrible destruction, and a sense of purpose settled in her belly when she heard her parents shuffling around beneath her feet. Jazz, without another moment's hesitation, grabbed Mikey's hand and proceeded to drag him downstairs behind her as she ran; they no longer had time to doubt anymore. She ignored his questions that were fired at her like a machine gun, rapid and seemingly never-ending, deciding that questions could wait until she could figure out answers that didn't sound like they were coming from a crack-pot. She hurtled through the house and ended up in the basement where her parents were busy loading weapons onto a cart in no time at all. She let go of the confused Italian boys hand for just a minute and returned with two hazmut suits in hand.

"Uh, Jazz?" Mikey asked while a feeling of dread that began in Danny's room continued to grow in his stomach as he looked at the orange, spandex-like suit now resting in his hands. "What is this and what are you doing? Better yet, just tell me what the Hell's going on here!"

"That is a hazmut suit, made of a special fabric that regulates body temperatures and provides protection from ectoplasmic energies," Jazz replied shortly as she pulled the teal suit on over her clothes and secured her long red hair away from her face with a band. "And I'm putting one of these on so I can help my parents fight off the ghosts now attacking Amity Park, which is what's going on outside."

Mikey continued to stare at the slim red-head as she pulled a hood over her face and covered her eyes with red goggles, waiting for her to elaborate on what she had just informed him off. It never came though…so he took it upon himself to ask. "Uh…ghosts, Jazz? Okay, I know that you said your family was a bit strange but this is ridicu--"

"I know it's kind of hard to swallow," Jazz interrupted as she started to help a still prone Mikey into his own hazmut suit before he knew what was happening. "I mean, I was in denial for the better half of my life when it cam to my parents and their radical beliefs but…but everything changed about four years ago. I can't make you believe that ghosts are real, or that my brother happens to be half ghost due to a lab accident when he was fourteen…but there is something I do think I can make you understand."

Jazz finished zipping up the orange suit and pulled the teal hood off her own to reveal her face, turquoise eyes bright and resolute framed by wispy red hair. She reached out and placed a hand on the side of Mikey's face and flicked her eyes upstairs before locking back on with his chocolate eyes. Her voice still retained the determined edge from before, but now was spoken in a way that made the slim girl seem much bigger than the Italian young man.

"Those noises you hear coming from outside are not pleasant ones Michael…and you know it. What you'll find out there are things that most people, besides those who live in this crazy city and know otherwise, think are just bedtime stories. Myths meant to frighten children around campfires and during slumber parties. But they aren't…the myths are real and sometimes not very happy with the living. Not all are vengeful, some are helpful and kind in fact, but we're not facing those kinds right now. Listen to them Mikey…that's the sound of pure hatred out there. And the town, as of right now at least, is missing the savior who always protected them…only we're left.

"Maybe my parents are a bit nutty, I mean, they have a lab for a basement in a house with an eighteen year old boy lives for goodness sakes! But…but they know how to fight off these ghosts, spirits, phantoms, or whatever you want to call them; and I do too. I can't just sit by and let them face this alone, I can't let the town face this alone, and I can't let my brother face this by himself anymore. I don't know if you'll want to help or not, I mean I know that trying to swallow a story about attacking ghosts is pretty far-fetched. However, I need your help right now Mikey…more than ever. Whether you help by heading out with my parents and I, or stay here and remain safe in the house with the protection of the ghost shield.

"You're probably thinking to yourself that I need to go undergo psychiatric therapy because of Post Traumatic Stress syndrome or for paranoia…and don't shake your head at me! I know the way your psychologist mind works mister! And, while I may need that down the road, right now there are bigger things happening than my being abused and a lot of lives are on the line now. Please…if you ever meant it when you said you trust me explicitly, please just trust what I'm saying now and help me defend my home and family."

Mikey stared into the now teary, teal orbs, a sense of warmth and protectiveness welling inside of him, pushing aside the skepticism and doubt with one, big shove. She was right, it was an awful big pill to swallow and he never really was a dreamer when it came to how his mind worked, and to suddenly start believing in ghosts was quite a stretch. But…Jazz obviously believed in this notion that ghosts existed so strongly, and the fact that these specters were now attacking the city as he stood there and stared at her beautiful eyes; perhaps it was time to take a step out of the analyst world and into the dreamer's for a moment. His rational mind, the one that would probably carry him on through school to get his degree and become a psychologist, was screaming at him as he gave Jazz a small smile, affirming his decision to believe her.

"All right Jazz," Mikey said as he zipped up the orange suit, shaking his head and making sure to color his voice with a little bit of skepticism still. "I'll go with this…I can hear those yells as well as anyone else. So…how exactly do you fight, uh, ghosts?"

Jazz didn't answer with words, but with actions, strapping and unbelievable amount of arsenals on his body with a determined look back on her face, all trace of her sadness replaced with a more…useful emotion for the moment. Mikey asked once or twice what the strange looking devices (all adorned with some sort of label displaying the name 'FENTON' across it somewhere), but soon gave up after the reply of "you point it at a ghost and shoot" started to grate on his nerves.

After Jazz strapped her own assortment of weaponry to her own slim form, including something she called a 'Jack-o-Nine Tale,' she grabbed Mikey's hand and dragged him back up the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the garage to help the two elder Fentons load even more weapons into a very heavily armored minivan. Mikey wondered for a moment whether a RV like that was even allowed to be owned and operated by two public scientists, but soon pushed that though aside (something he seemed to be doing a lot that day) and helped alongside the young, red-headed woman.

Just after everything was loaded into the RV, Mikey heard Jazz and her parents begin to argue, no doubt about her decision to fight alongside them with a still very fragile mind, and he moved away enough to try and block out the argument. It wasn't until he was against the garage door did the raised voices and arm gesticulations fade away from his attention…and was replaced by something else coming from outside. He heard Tucker and Valerie outside, and they were both obviously fighting against something outside…and they weren't winning. Even though the analyst was against this entire thing, it was starting to believe that something not quite right was going on…and they were wasting time arguing now. Maybe he wasn't entirely positive of what was going on, but he had gotten to know Tucker and Valerie the past weeks they had been over to help with Danny and Jazz; if they were in danger than he needed to go out and help.

Call it the Italian blood in him…he had the inherent need to protect those he thought in danger. That was the reason why no one in the Fabino family was allowed to lock doors anymore…to many broken down doors.

"Uh…guys?" he began hesitantly with a small wave of a brown hand. He felt a brief swoop of discomfort as three sets of angry eyes all focused on him, but pushed it aside as quickly as it came and hardened his own chocolate orbs. "I'm sure all of you are worried about each other and want to protect everyone, but arguing about it isn't going to help any. If what's going on is as serious as Jazz was telling me it is, then maybe we all need to help out instead of bickering about who's going to. Frankly Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I think Jazz will be a big help out there, especially with helping me out, and Jazz, you need to remember that they just get worried about you…like all parents do. So…let's ask ourselves where we need to head towards instead of yelling about."

All thoroughly shamefaced, the Fenton family, minus the ailing son, all gave each other brief smiles before the parents both leaped into the front seats, Maddie in the driver's. Jazz mouthed a 'thank you' to Mikey before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips, pulling him into the backseats of the RV as he tried (and failed miserably) to wipe the goofy grin off his face. Both younger occupants gripped their armrests with a death-like grip as the matron of the Fenton family peeled out of the garage and took off down the road at an alarming speed that Mikey was sure wasn't legal.

Jazz turned around for a brief moment to see Sam and Tucker staring up at Valerie as she fought off ghosts in the sky from the front lawn of her house, trying to stave off the overwhelming feeling of dread threatening to overthrow her determination fueling her. The younger teens looked so small, as the RV pulled away, so small up against so many green, ghastly…well, ghosts. She felt the strong hand of her father on her shoulder pull her back forward, his confident smile bolstering her morale once more.

"They'll be just fine Jazzypants," Jack Fenton said with a conviction that couldn't be faked. "That Valerie sure knows how to fight ghosts with the best of them! Now, let's go kick some ghost butt Fenton family!"

"Jazz," Maddie added on as her enthusiastic husband began to pump the air with his fists in excitement at the thought of fighting some ghosts. "You know they'll be all right honey…they always are. Jack, dear, please don't put your fist through the window again…"

Jazz pried her eyes away from the already disappeared scene happening in front of her house and back up front. She could see the street signs flashing before her eyes before the RV tore past them and deeper into town, noting how the screams were no being mingled in with what sounded like battle-cries. Maybe that wasn't just something the directors of war movies had the heroes do right before he or she charged the enemy; maybe it was just an instinctual reaction that helped quell all the raging emotions flowing through you. Jazz tightened her hold on her weapon of choice, closing her eyes for a moment as she fed Mikey instructions on how to fire at the ghosts with his Fenton Ecto Blasters and where to hit them, like the eyes and other such weak spots. This continued in an almost unnerving calm pace until the RV was screeched to a stop…cheers as well as emboldened cries filled the air around the four, muffled slightly by the metal of the vehicle.

Jazz waited for her mother to give the okay, gripping her weapon and narrowing her eyes at the closed door, poised to leap out and start firing as soon as the door was opened by her father. Mikey slid up beside her, and she could feel his anxiousness as they waited…who wouldn't be if he or she was about to fight ghosts for the first time? This was the worst part though, Jazz decided as she began to recite some definitions of psychological diseases in her head…the waiting. It felt as if she were about to jump off of a high dive for the first time, that feeling of fear, dread, and second-guessing all rolled into one. Her heartbeat was starting to beat faster, a natural reaction she told herself, and her skin began to feel like it was tingling.

She began to wonder why any of this was even going on as she saw her mother smile grimly at her father and nod with a fierce look in her turquoise eyes, why any of this fighting was going on in the first place. Was it because of Danny? All evidence pointed to her brother as the cause…and Vlad Masters aka Plasmius the root of the resources. Tucker was probably right when he told Jazz about his and Valerie's theory about Vlad hiring Riley and his goons to kidnap and, eventually, break Danny and her, but why what was was troubling the red-head. Why did Vlad Masters fear Danny Fenton so much? Why did all the ghosts seem to fear him…why were some ghosts, like the Season spirits so devoted to him? What was so different about him that made him a catalyst for everything that was happening?

The answer seemed to buzzing right in front of her, like a fly one's unable to swat down, and as she waited for the door to slide open all the way, she questioned her mind furiously. What made Danny so different from Vlad that ghosts seemed to hate him and obey Vlad? If power was an issue, Danny should have had a lot lore allies by now, his powers out-ranking Vlad's for nearly a year. Maybe it was emotions then…Vlad certainly didn't hold the thought of emotions in such high regard unless it had to with his obsession with Maddie Fenton. Yes, Danny certainly acted much more human than Vlad did but…but that didn't seem like a proper reason because plenty of ghosts like Johnny 13, Kitty, Ember, and Walker to name a few acted human. What was it?

Then, just as she and Mikey leapt out of the RV, followed shortly by Jack in the Fenton Peeler suit, it hit her. It hit her like a freight train going 180 down an open track. It was so simple why Danny was such a threat to so many…so simple why Clockwork and Bruma protected him so fiercely, even turning back time to ensure his safety. There was one major difference that separated Danny from Vladimir Masters, one that created a possibility that, for some reason, she had ignored completely.

Samantha Manson.

She gave Danny something that Vlad didn't have a chance in hell of ever having, a possibility of children being born out of love that were born half dead and half alive. Jazz let loose a battle cry of her own as she use the Jack o' Nine Tales to rip apart several ghosts who darted towards her, sparing a glance over at Mikey after her own task was down, happy to see him fighting just as well as she…maybe Fentons just had a knack for attracting other ghost fighters. Off to her left, Jazz could hear her parents fighting off ghosts with their efficient professionalism, and ahead of her she could see so many citizens of Amity Park fighting against the ghost invaders as well. It was good to know that after four years of ghost attacks certain people had developed their own skills to fight off ghosts as well.

A vulture like ghost swooped down at Jazz, cawing in a high pitched voice and green saliva dripping from its beak, and Jazz twirled to her left to avoid it. She took that one down too, with a fervor that would have made her parents proud, her own mind still reeling from the revelation it had just had. Sure, she was aware that her little brother wasn't so little anymore, and that he truly was in love with Sam…Jazz just never actually thought about her baby brother being able to have children before. It was kind of like a big sister block had never even thought of that as a possibility.

She would have liked to expand more on her current train of thought, but the arrival of three humanoid ghosts robbed her of that option…she had to focus now or these things could get to Danny! So, she made a promise to herself as she whipped down the cord-like weapon and crushed one of the oncoming ghosts; that she would make sure that none of these monsters would try to rob Danny of any semblance of a normal life. He didn't deserve to always have to fight for things any living creature should be allowed to have…it just wasn't right.

After dispatching the second of the ghosts, Jazz was knocked away by the third from behind, landing on the ground sloppily with a thud before she could roll out of the way of a blast. The third ghost was leering at her as he readied another greenish blast, daring her to attack him, but she was never able to take up his offer…another green blast hit him from behind and dissolved the spectral being before he could let loose his attack. Jazz readied her own weapon as she tried in vain to see through the smoky residue as to who helped her, because that blast was from no Fenton weapon. Even so, her own sense of readiness couldn't handle what she saw when the fog finally cleared and her rescuer stood before her, smirking at her with green eyes.

"You!"

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Bruma was in a rush for a few different reasons: one, the premonition of danger she had been feeling for the past week had finally come to fruition, two, most of the ghosts allied with the Abomination had already departed to the human world to reek incalculable damage, three, most of the spirits could not leave their domains to fight live the Seasons could, and four, she was not sure if Danny had regained his memory or not yet. The winter spirit glided through the different sections of her Spirit Realm, rallying anyone who could spare it to come and help, before setting off to meet with her siblings and come up with a plan.

Bruma saw her younger brother first, punching his fists in the air like a human toddler, and settled beside him to face her older siblings. Flora, as usual, was looking at her sister in concern while Messis questioned her with a look. Before shooting an exasperated look at the very excited Aestas, Bruma shook her rainbow-tressed head slowly and said in a hard voice, "Not many Brother…a few are able to help but it will not be enough to face the force the Abomination will have been able to muster."

"Who then, Bruma?" Messis asked, worry now clouding his brown eyes as he shot Aestas a look to calm the spirit of Summer down for a moment.

"Most of the Animal spirits," Bruma replied in the same hard, fearless tone. "None of the emotions…a few of the river, and, of course, Johtan. That glory-hound doesn't count himself out of any battle, for purpose or none."

"Well," Flora responded in her delicate way. "He is the Spirit of Glory…why would he go against his nature?"

"What of the Others?" Bruma asked, ignoring the smile on her sister's face. Flora, of all the other siblings, knew the true reason why Bruma detested Johtan after all…and the spring spirit found it funny that her cold sister was annoyed with unwanted affection!

"None will come," Aestas replied, a sad hint in his tone that sounded almost foreign on the usually boisterous spirit. "The Seraphs have problems of their own right now, as you all well know, and the Keltoi claim they do not have the numbers to aid humans and ghosts feuds. I could contact none of the rest, my Sister…but I do not think they will go against us."

"Of course they won't, they all will just wait and see who wins before siding with any," Bruma said bitterly as she turned her gaze upon Messis. "What of the Lines? Will they do nothing?"

"Most do not think now would be a good time to reveal themselves," the fall spirit said as he tugged at his rainbow beard thoughtfully. "However, the part of the Crai'agh does perturb them. They do not believe the stone should have been left with Clockwork in the first place, and now it is caught up in the middle of a war between ghosts and spirits, two of their not so favorite entities. They fear for the safety of the Heir the Crai'agh is bound too…"

"Well," Bruma answered as she fixed her black eyes on something none of the others could see. "You can tell the Mages that the Heir is already in ownership of the Crai'agh and that the Heir will not be easily swayed to leave this conflict…perhaps that will convince those snobbish assholes that it is time for the Lines of witches to join with those of ghosts and help us later. For now, we only have one option left with which to gain fighters to aid us."

The other three were still reeling from their sister's proclamation…the Crai'agh was already in ownership by one of the Heirs? While they each thought the current holder of the stone was a worthy soul to bear it, that's all they each thought the person was…a bearer. A holder to keep the stone safe until the true owner claimed the talisman…how did Bruma know that—

"You didn't think it was only the hybrid, did you?" Bruma asked with a smirk, answering the unspoken question from her siblings' lips. "The union did not refer to that of living and death, but rather of ghost and witch…or, rather, ghost blood and some form of ancestral witch blood."

"How did you come to find out though, Bruma?" Flora asked with wide, green eyes.

"The girl revealed something to me that answered a question I had," Bruma replied cryptically. "A bearer could not summon power from the stone…and Clockwork himself gave the stone to the hybrid. That is how I knew."

None of the Season siblings said anything for a while, letting the information sink in and digest itself for three and renew itself for one. When each of the season spirits looked up at each other once more, any shred of doubt was gone from all four pair of eyes, only an acceptance and burning determination left in each pair. They each knew what they had to do…the Abomination could not be allowed to win this day! The only issue was…it was an unpleasant task.

"Aestas and I shall tackle the Warden," Messis said with the authority that he had been bestowed by the others. "Bruma and Flora, you will both tackle the rest…if we are able to convince the rest to fight for us, along with the humans and other spirits, we will not fail our mission! We will meet again on the Living plane…until then, may the path be cleared before you both."

"And with you two as well," both sisters intoned in respectful tones, before turning to part ways and convince the only resource left to help them. Both sisters glided in their way towards their destination, hoping that their brothers would have luck with that obstinate jackass of a warden, and soon happened upon their targets, all congregated in one of the many doorways of the Ghost Zone.

"Do you think they will actually listen to a word we say?" Flora asked her younger sister; the winter spirit had more contact with the ghosts than any of the seasons.

"We will make them," Bruma answered fiercely, black eyes narrowing as she studied her, well, prey below her. Being spirits, she and her sister garnered more respect than any average ghost in the realms of the Dead, but they were in no means all powerful. The incident with the Abomination kidnapping and controlling her was proof enough of that…hopefully what power they did have would be enough.

Neither spirit announced herself as they swooped down and 'landed' among the gathered ghosts, ignoring the startled looks of surprise and both adopting their game faces. The both waited until the mutterings died down before speaking, Flora going first to show some diplomatic manners towards the gathered ghosts. "I am known as Flora, Spirit of Spring…and beside me is my sister Bruma, Spirit of Winter. We come to you all now in hope that you may aid us in battle against the forces of the Abomination known as Plasmius…"

"We have already gathered forces of our own," Bruma added on, keeping her brittle tone as kind as possible for her, and gesturing to their audience with her leather incased hands. "But it is not enough to face the power we know Plasmius is possible of…we need all of your aid if we are to defeat him."

Not one of the remaining ghosts said anything for a while, letting the words of two spirits digest before one stepped forward, heavy machinery and guns clinking as he went. "You wish us to help humans fight against fellow ghosts? Humans and…the whelp? You must be desperate…"

"Listen up Rainbow Brights," another voice, female and angry, spoke up, her flaming green hair towering over her spectral body. "I really don't see a reason why we should all risk our hides in fighting Plasmius for a bunch of humans! Maybe Dipstick and me aren't fighting anymore, but that doesn't mean we're having tea every afternoon and chatting it up! I don't really see why WE should all go up there and fight a losing battle."

Many of the ghosts agreed and started talking again after Skulker and Ember finished their declarations…Bruma just stared at them dispassionately until they stopped. She let Flora, by far the more magnanimous of the two, try to convince the ghosts of why they should help, about how evil Plasmius is and all sorts of feel-good reasons for about a half hour. The petite spirit held up a valiant effort, and even managed to convince one or two who started to argue for her, but the most remained strictly apprehensive and unwilling to go up against a halfa as powerful as Plasmius. The green-skinned spirit turned around and fixed her luminous green eyes with her sister's inky black ones, a delicate hand waving out towards their crowd to signal Bruma's turn.

"You say you are not willing to fight Plasmius because it is a losing battle," Bruma began, all traces of kindness gone from her hard voice and her eyes pinning each lost soul like a knife. In her warrior-hunting garb and holding her hand on the hilt of her sword, she looked much more imposing than her flowery sister…and it showed. "But, you will allow him and his pawns to control nearly every inch of YOUR domain! It sounds to me as if you have given up a battle before it has even begun…and here I thought you all were supposed to be vengeful and fearsome creatures. You want a reason to fight…one that will directly correlate to your very after-lives?

"If you aid us, and stop acting like sniveling cowards cowering to a school-yard bully, then you will prevent your own destruction by hands of the Lines." Bruma paused for a moment, letting this startling news ripple through the assembled crowd. Ghosts may not have fought with witches for centuries now, but that did not mean they were allies now…and it seemed they still could evoke fear in the spectral beings. "You see, a rather valuable talisman of theirs is involved in this fight and they would be most upset to find that it was taken by an Abomination. So, there is one reason.

"Here is another…and a more powerful one at that. Are you all willing to be ruled over by a tyrant like Pariah Dark, only much worse? That is what Plasmius will be…he will not rest with the domination of his homeland, but the ghost inside him will want these realms as well. What will you ghosts do when the spirits are gone…called away by the witch lines whose ancient ancestors gave us form because you all stood aside and let one of your problems destroy you? You will all be slaves for the rest of your eternal existences is what will happen…and when Plasmius finally reaches for power were he should not…what will happen? You will all be extinguished, and the spirits will follow after.

"The Seraphs are having problems of their own…problems that most of you know what it concerns with. What if Plasmius should reach that far because of his human greed? Are you all willing to accept responsibility for that possible catastrophe should you all stand idle now?

"There is a chance for survival though…should you fight today. A chance that something be brought into the world that has a chance to finally put an end to what the Seraphs inadvertently brought upon our world. Put an end to the reliance on talismans and artifacts made by the witches and ghosts of old.

"…

"The hybrid who resides happily in the world of living is what could make this possible…he is human, despite sharing some of our gifts and your occasional appearance, he is human nonetheless. Not alone of course, but he is a factor. But, he is weakened already by attempts to destroy his humanity by Plasmius. Whether the Abomination knows of this chance already is not important…what is, is that you could all become heroes should you fight with us today! For human or no, fight for the perseverance of our two races and for the chance to bring about the Geminus progeny! Fight for yourselves and prove to me that you are worthy of being called ghosts!"

It didn't take long after Bruma's speech that a loud cheer went up to take down Plasmius…Skulker and Ember leading the chant and also leading the ghosts there to round up more ghosts who had not sided with Vlad. Bruma shot her smiling sister a rare smile, a look conveying a wordless message that the spring spirit understood perfectly: all it takes is the right motivation sometimes to make an army out of reluctant participants.

Both season sisters glided away and let the ghosts rally themselves together, setting off to meet their brothers at the meeting point before they called the spirits who would join them to convene there as well. Bruma looked behind her to make sure the ghosts began following them…which they were; the season spirits had the way out to the living world after all. A shout from ahead, which sounded so familiarly like her exuberant brother it could be no one else, brought her attention back forward and she saw even more ghosts trailing behind the season brothers. A large, white ghost with a rule book was in the lead behind Aestas…it seemed that even though Walker had not signed the treaty he still would help.

"It would seem as though you have succeeded sisters," Messis said with a smile as the siblings approached each other, admiring the other's fighting force in comparison to their own. "I trust it was not too difficult."

"Not after Bruma threatened to loose the Lines upon them," Flora smiled back. "And it would seem that you two would have had the harder fight to contend with anyway."

"Not really," Aestas said with a laugh, placing the hand not on his hammer on his winter sister's shoulder. "Once Messis mentioned that Plasmius was breaking a rule set up by the Council of old, he was very enthusiastic of apprehending him and his goons!"

Bruma couldn't help but smile at her younger sibling; he was so amusing when he was excited about something new. And, facing an army of ghosts with an army of ghosts, humans, and spirits was definitely new. The four waited until they saw Ember and Skulker fly up, a sign that both had found every available ghost they could and now all were accounted for…and there were quite a lot of them now. Messis smiled grimly and motioned a hand towards Aestas, who grinned even broader and inhaled a great amount of 'air.' He exhaled it in the sound of a horn, a beautiful baritone howl that seemed to rock the entire landscape, army and all. When he was done, all manners of strange looking spirits were present…mostly in the shape of half-animal, half-man forms and others that looked like water itself.

This was it, Bruma thought to herself as she gripped both of her short swords and yanked them out of their scabbards, her siblings following suit with their own respective weapon: a great hammer that crackled ominously for Aestas, a long bow with blue sparking arrows for Flora, and a giant green scythe for Messis. Her own blue and black swords, made from glacier ice and diamonds by her manifestors long ago, glittered dangerously as they waited for their way into the real world. A shaggy character stepped forward out of the masses along with an old man with a large staff, both waiting for their cue from the spirits.

"Go ahead Wulf," Messis said aloud with a nod towards the Esperanto speaking hound, who promptly ripped five huge holes into the dimension…five holes into Amity Park. The ghosts and spirits swarmed through them, already able to hear the sounds of battle going on the other side, and the season spirits followed shortly after, weapons ready and war faces on. Only Bruma paused long enough to hear the wizened old man, known by many as Clockwork but to her as Aetas, Spirit of Time.

"Guard them well Seasons," Clockwork yelled as the Wulf jumped through the self-made portals as well. "And when the time comes where all seems lost, let hope fill the void and only guard against the tide…not the Abomination."

Bruma nodded as the old man faded out of sight and turned her attention back towards the present. It seemed silly, telling her to let Danny, in his weakened state, fight off Plasmius on his own, but maybe the old man knew something she didn't. It was very likely…he knew more than any normal spirit should. Bruma gripped her swords tight in each hand and let loose a battle cry as she hurtled down towards the ground where the fighting was occurring, an icy comet streaking across the sky along with a fireball, an shooting star, and a meteor to let the Abomination know how pissed off they each were.

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Jazz looked up in amazement at her very unlikely rescuer…she didn't even know that this girl was friends with Danny! Before, in all her biker glory, was Kitty, a ghost who once tried to overshadow Jazz's body to take form on Earth. She was smirking at the confused red-head, and yelled over her shoulder, "Did you see her face Johnny? She looks like she swallowed something nasty uh?"

A grungy looking ghost with lanky blond hair and an overcoat pulled up on a motorcycle then, forming his own ectoplasmic blast and shooting down another enemy ghost flying towards them. "You got that right baby, but come on, we still got plenty to do and sitting here won't get it done. Shadow! Get those vultures away from halfa's sister's boy-toy!"

Sure enough, Jazz saw a huge, smiling shadow rise up behind Johnny and start taking down a group of ghosts encircling Mikey as he made his way over to Jazz. The slim woman was still in shock when she felt Mikey place his hand on her shoulder and whisper, "Look Jazz…there a whole bunch of these things helping us now!"

Again, Jazz found herself stunned as she watched various ghosts, both known and unknown, attacking _their _attackers side-by-side with humans! She looked back over to where Kitty and Johnny were still smirking at her and she asked in a small voice, "What the hell are you all doing here?"

"Well," Kitty answered in an indignant tone as she ducked and let Johnny blast another ghost. "It would seem like were helping all you humans out uh? Don't sound so grateful Miss Perfect…jeez. And here I thought you'd be happy you humans wouldn't get crushed by Plasmius!"

"But…why?" Jazz asked again, still not understanding why she was seeing so many of Danny's ex-enemies suddenly fighting to protect his town. Youngblood was currently blasting ghosts everywhere with spaceman (his latest obsession obviously) rockets, Skulker and Ember were helping out Dash, Kwan, and other jocks from Casper High who were fighting in front of a convenience store, Desiree was casting wishes for good luck on the citizens fighting while hexing the opposing side, and it seemed like Technus was aiding some of the local parents who were fighting with their children. It was all too surreal to take in…there had to be a reason.

"Well, that winter spirit friend of yours brought up an interesting point," Kitty said as she blasted another ghost with a shot from her ring. "And we ghosts decided that it would be better for us for your brother to be alive than Plasmius killing him and half the town. Lesser of two evils you see."

Jazz did see, and she was happy to have the help…they needed it desperately. She gave the biker chick a deadly smirk and rolled over to fight back to back with her, letting Mikey help Johnny and his Shadow as they shifted over a block to help some struggling parents. The two girls worked wonderfully together, like they had been friends for all their lives instead of allies for a moment, cutting down ghosts every which way and sending them back to the Ghost Zone where they belonged.

"New boyfriend?" Kitty asked as she ducked and let the red-head squeeze the life out of a squid ghost. "He's cute…now you can stop scamming on mine uh?"

"Johnny was a lapse of judgment," Jazz replied with a laugh as the two made their way over towards another fighting arena. "Believe me; he's all yours…just stay away from mine all right?"

"Oh don't worry, he's not my type," Kitty answered with a devilish grin at her companion. "He breathes too much."

Jazz let out another laugh, amazed that the two were joking at a time like this about boyfriends. But, maybe it was good that they were…it helped alleviate some of the fear she knew they both were feeling, alive or dead. It was always better to have a friend by your side should it be your last moment…no time like the present to make amends and start anew. She glanced out from her hiding space to see how many ghosts were out there, counting five, and focused on controlling her breathing. Maybe Kitty didn't have this problem, but living beings eventually ran out of fuel and Jazz knew she had a long way to go before she could allow that.

"So…" Kitty asked slowly in a quiet voice, settling into a fighting stance as Jazz mouthed how close the ghosts were. "What's up with your brother? Haven't seen him for a while…we were kind of wondering what happened to him…"

"He got hurt," Jazz said shortly, launching her Jack o' Nine Tales and crushing two of the ghosts while Kitty launched three separate blasts at the others. Two more went down and both girls moved in on the last one to get rid of him. "He still is…that's why were fighting out here, to protect him."

"Oh…" Kitty trailed off, running one hand uncomfortably through her green hair and the other across her stomach. "I'm sorry…I always kind of thought he was a good kid. I actually felt bad when I pretended to be Paulina and messed with his feelings…he didn't really deserve it. I guess, well, I'm sorry about that."

"Just that?" Jazz teased, for some reason, feeling a lot better now that she had heard an old enemy state how good she thought her brother was.

"Definitely, I needed a body and you were a good pick…although, now that I think about it, you're probably to dorky for me to live in!"

They both giggled like old friends for a moment before starting forward again towards City Hall, where most of the fighting was happening and where Jazz's parents were. The way was relatively clear, and more fighters gathered around and headed for the government building and almost made it there without distraction. But then, something happened that left most of the people speechless.

"Jazzmine," Kitty said slowly as she stopped walking and kept her red eyes fixed on the sky. "You did say your brother was hurt, didn't you?"

"Yeah, why?" Jazz asked back, frowning at the look of wonder and fear on the ghost girl's face.

"That's why!" Kitty hissed as she jabbed upward, directing turquoise eyes into the sky.

Jazz felt her breath catch as she watched the spectacle up in the sky, and several others as they looked up with her, human and ghost alike. Above was a fight, a fight between Vlad Plasmius and Danny Phantom…and the latter was not winning. Jets of green met those of dark pink in the sky, and purple light seemed to be cackling dangerously around Danny as he dove out of the way of a duplicate Vlad attack. It was horrifying to watch, but most couldn't seem to tear their eyes away, least of all Jazz Fenton.

Watching her brother up there, Jazz didn't know whether to feel happy that her brother had seemingly regained his memory, or terrified that he was fighting like that with Vlad…it looked like they both meant to kill each other! She didn't know what she could do, but she knew sitting there wasn't going to accomplish anything…she needed to get to City Hall and let her parents know what was going on here…but she couldn't run that fats and through this many people and be of any help…wait…

"Kitty!" Jazz yelled, grabbing hold of the ghost's cool flesh and brining the scarlet eyes back down to look at the living girl. "I need to get to City Hall, and I need to get there fast! Can you overshadow me and phase me through all these people and fly us to me parents?"

"What?" Kitty asked, alarmed this girl was asking her to take over her body.

"Please! It's the only way I can help my brother right now…my parents made a new weapon while Danny was sick, they told me about it. They know what Vlad is and they know that it was Vlad who initiated the attackers on Danny and I that hurt him so badly…they'll use this new weapon against him and we can help my brother! Please Kitty…I can't get there on my own…I need your help!"

The biker ghost looked at the Fenton girl like she was crazy for a minute or two before sighing and nodding her head. She could see the logic and Danny did not look to be faring well against Plasmius at the moment. She turned intangible and flew into the girl's waiting body, quickly getting hold of the systems and learning to breathe again so she didn't kill Jazz too. "Hold on Fenton, we're going for a spin!" Kitty said in Jazz's body as she flew into the air and phased through buildings as they passed, making a bee-line for the City Hall.

_Please don't maim my body though, Kitty!_

"Don't worry doll-face, I won't," Kitty replied as they twisted and turned through the streets of Amity Park. Neither girl knew what would happen once they got there, or what they would find, but they'd face it together for the moment and that comforted them both while they flew.

_Please Danny…just hold on a bit longer…_

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"It has begun," a cold voice said from inside a tower, watching the events happen as they swirled in, what appeared to be a wash bin. The speaker looked up and smiled as she looked out the window, overlooking a vast meadow filled with every kind of flower imaginable.

Her master was out there, biding time while history wrote itself and waiting for the right moment to strike. They would wait, like they had for years, and continue to collect supporters to their cause while attentions were focused elsewhere…the simple fools wouldn't even see what was coming until it hit them all in the face, hard. The figure looked back into the shimmering picture and watched as two beings that did not belong in the world fought to remain…fought to keep themselves intact for an even greater destiny that neither was aware of.

"It has begun," the speaker said again as she looked fixatedly on the scene before her, smiling as the older abomination delivered a devastating blast to the younger. "And when it is over…the real games begin."

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**A/N: **Well, would you look at that? A whole chapter that had virtually no Danny, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, or Plasmius in it…and yet revealed so much I can't even say! Hehe…I really need to learn how to curb my enthusiasm for cliffhangers.

Review! And, until next time yes!

Osco


	13. Part 13: Burst

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone for being patient with me! My computer is now fixed and I now know it is bad to thermal out a laptop…life lessons there! I also was attacked with another plot bunny…damn them to hell I say! Oh well, I wrote three of those while writing this one so…not really fair, but I'm not updating those yet!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I think I was punished a bit for the late updating, but I hope everyone out there can forgive me and keep on reading! Nothing else really to report…enjoy the chapter!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Thirteen: Burst**_

Sam watched with a morbid fascination as the two spheres of ghostly energy, one a sickly magenta and the other a bright green, meet each other in the sky; her hand clutched the pendant about her neck as she watched. She felt a sense of detachment as the heat from the collision filtered down from the sky to breeze across her face, like she was watching the scene safe from a movie theater or in a dream. She briefly wondered if either opponent high above could appreciate the beautiful light show they were creating…a myriad of dancing colors that almost seemed to express their own pain, regret, and anger. Despite the circumstances, and the logical voice screaming in her head to move, Sam let a small smile drift across her features as the sparks flew in the air above her, beginning their descent down to the ground.

It was only when she felt strong hands grab her arms and yank her down did she realize that it wasn't a dream…Danny really was fighting above her and the pretty lights were nothing of the sort. The smile fell off her face and she covered her head as ricochet fumes of ectoplasm rained down around her and the form beside her known as tucker Foley. The blast was deafening, and Sam mused grimly that it probably covered up the screams released from her and Tucker's throats. Another instinctual reaction that changes nothing, but seemed appropriate given the situation.

"I think Danny got his memory back!" Tucker yelled as he rolled out of the way of another stray beam, a sardonic smile playing across his face as he looked back up towards the battle.

"I'd say that's a good observation, Tuck," Sam yelled back, pushing up off the ground and letting her own lilac gaze drift up as well. "Anything else you'd like to point out, Captain Obvious!"

"Only that we should probably move instead of sitting here watching, like geese in hunting season! And you should probably get a weapon or something!" Tucker pulled out the Fenton Thermos and started sucking ghosts that weren't paying that much attention into the container, all the while inching closer to where Valerie had landed. The girl was still lying prone on the ground, half covered in the rubble from crashing into the neighbor's side wall. She hadn't moved since Vlad's blast sent her careening there, and Sam was pretty sure she saw red liquid forming beneath the poor girl.

Sam didn't bother to give Tucker an answer as he, for lack of a better word, mowed through the remaining ghosts who accompanied Vlad to the Fenton house toward the fallen fighter. She knew she would only distract him right now, so she sprinted into the house to grab some kind of weapon so she could help out. The amethyst wasn't reliable as a weapon…and Danny couldn't afford to have a distraction either. Luckily for the raven-haired girl, there were various Fenton weapons littered all about the front room, probably gadgets that Jack hadn't been able to cram into the Fenton Assault Vehicle, so she didn't have to waste time by running down into the lab. She grabbed a Fenton Blaster and also a belt of what looked like hand grenades, securing the latter around her slim waist. The grenades were actually Fenton Ecto Bombs though, and would provide some good defense if she and Tucker got trapped in a corner while protecting Valerie. As she headed out the door, Sam paused and picked up the Specter Deflector belt, for some reason left behind because of lack of time, and hurried outside to help Tucker. The belt could help Valerie as the very least, Sam thought as she rushed across the sidewalk.

It didn't take long before a few ghosts aiding Vlad swooped down on her, but Sam blasted each one with aim only four years of ghost hunting could grant. She ran, ducked, and blasted her way through the blasts and ghost beams to Tucker, handing him the Deflector and taking over for him with the blaster as he strapped it around Valerie. He returned beside her and began sucking up the ghosts Sam stunned after a minute or so.

"How's Val?" Sam asked loudly after there were only a few ghosts left who had followed Vlad here. Tucker had also grabbed Valerie's forgotten beam canon and was using that in concert with the Thermos…he was actually surprisingly dexterous.

"She's still out," Tucker hollered back, not tearing his green eyes away from the scene before him for even a second. "A few bruises and cuts here and there…I think she may have broken her wrist too. She's got a nasty bump on the head and a gash in her right arm as well…I got her out from under the rubble, but I haven't been able to move her anywhere safe yet!"

Sam didn't need to look over at her friend to know how worried he was about the huntress…she could hear it in his voice and see it in how fiercely he fought off the last of the invaders. She was worried about the fearless Valerie Grey too…they had just regained a friend and couldn't afford to lose another now! The veteran ghost-fighters finished off the last ghost, besides the two battling in the air for supremacy, after another minute or so…it was surprisingly simple. The ghosts acted as if they didn't even care if they lost…as long as Plasmius won…it seemed almost cultish to Sam as she witnessed their behavior. But why would ghosts join a cult with Vlad as the leader?

Sam turned her eyes back up to the flashing lights, trying to figure out why Vlad has chosen now to attack…and why he had employed the likes of Mance Riley in the first place? As terrifying as the battle was, it was amazing to watch as Danny and Plasmius shot blasts at each other, and then turned around and avoided each of those blasts. It looked like a stalemate from her vantage point…

But it really wasn't.

Vlad was toying with him, Danny was plenty aware of that, and the recently recovered hero didn't know how much longer he could play the game…especially when Plasmius decided to full out attack. There was the fact that he had just recently regained who he even was to contend with, coupled with the gaping feeling of inadequacy that revelation came with. Plasmius didn't have that problem…and he was at full strength; Danny woefully wasn't. He could hear Vlad taunting him, and recognized it for what it was, but now he couldn't help but agree with him.

The main problem, as many would discover after the fact in a wonderful moment called hindsight, was that with regaining all of his memories on how to fight and who exactly he was, Danny also gained every single moment of failure as well. They were relatively minor things that happened all throughout his life that he had gotten over quickly, things he hadn't dwelled on that had been so trivial he had shrugged them off. However, all bunched up together and shown to his mind like an unstoppable slideshow it was overwhelming. It was facing every half truth and lie about himself, every moment where he had disappointed, angered, or even hurt his family and friends and it left him shaken and unsure.

So, the problem was when he heard Vladimir Plasmius spew those hurtful words about how he would fail and endanger his loved ones even further, Danny found himself starting to agree. An angry side of him was protesting valiantly, and was probably the reason why he hadn't been beaten to a pulp yet, but the rational side of Danny's brain knew it wouldn't last. So, the words that cut deeper than any ecto blast could kept coming along with those blasts; and he couldn't avoid both. Danny swirled his ghost body around two more blasts, desperate to gain some kind of leverage on the other half-ghost…desperate to keep his waning endurance from failing completely. It didn't work though, Danny mused bitterly to himself as a particularly nasty blast hit him dead center and sent him crashing into the waiting ground below. It hurt like hell, especially considering that his ribs weren't completely healed from Martino's beatings, but he managed to get up as if nothing was wrong. He was met with two very concerned eyes though, but for the first time in weeks, he recognized them.

"Tucker, Sam," Danny gritted out as he wiped away green ectoplasm that substituted blood away from his mouth and formed a blast in his other hand. "You both need to get out of here before Plasmius decides to total the entire street. You're both just sitting ducks to him right now…find my parents and stay with them."

"Sure, Danny," Sam replied callously as she narrowed her violet eyes. She hated it when he got it in his head that he alone had to face down everything; the lone, sacrificial hero. "I'm sure it's much safer with your parents in the center of town where most of the ghosts are! Don't you dare play the martyr now after I just got you back!"

"Sam's got a point dude," Tucker replied grimly he glanced sideways at the unconscious Valerie in his arms, having retrieved her from the rubble while Danny had crashed. "Besides, I'm not leaving you here by yourself to face off with this…uh this…"

"Crazed up fruit loop?" Sam supplied helpfully, a smile dancing across her features for a second at Danny's nickname for Plasmius. Danny completely ignored the self-patented insult though, and that wiped the smile right off quicker than anything else could….why was he acting so cold?

"Yeah, that," Tucker quipped as he saw Plasmius float down gradually to their eye level. He backed up, cradling his precious cargo close to try and protect the vulnerable girl.

"Both of you need to get out of here now!" Danny hissed as he levitated his own body and let his eyes glow a furious green. He felt as if his limbs were on fire, about to give out any minute, but he had to keep fighting damnit! He had his parents his sister and her boyfriend, Tucker with Valerie in tow, and all those damn townspeople who could never decide if he was a hero or not to protect.

Sam…he had to protect her!

Danny turned all of his attention towards Vlad Plasmius, who was now hovering about ten feet away from him with a confident smirk on his pale face. Danny let out an almost feral growl at the sight…that madman needed to be stopped before more people got hurt. He was the only one alive, in a matter of speaking, able to beat him…there never was anyone else. He let all of his anger flow through his body, letting it provide the adrenaline and energy he needed…he could summon the anger like the voice in his head told him too, and for now that would have to do. He couldn't summon up hope yet…

All the thoughts of failing were pushed aside for the moment…they wouldn't help right now. He made the ectoplasm on his hands glow brighter, the green and white fire dancing together trying to summon up the purple light once more, and he narrowed his glowing eyes. He was making sure Vlad was going down before he destroyed anymore of the town, and should his anger fail, he had a fail-proof back up plan. The world would probably be less confusing without him there anyway…

"Now don't you look fearsome," Plasmius cooed as he blocked three of the four blasts sent his way. The fourth hit him, but it felt like a punch to the face, nothing more. "That temper of yours just seems to get worse over every passing year. Have you considered counseling, Daniel? You surely could find a reason to go now beside the temper…how did you enjoy Mr. Riley's company by the way?"

Danny felt himself go rigid at the mention of his and Jazz's captor, and he tried to force away the alien feeling of hands that belonged to an associate of Mance Riley. He thought he heard Tucker and Sam yell at him to move, but he found his limbs wouldn't obey….it didn't surprise him when a pink blast sent him spiraling into his garage door. He thought he heard his head crack too and was about to see if the wetness on the back of his neck was real when another hand closed around his throat and pinned him to the surface. Both of his hands instinctively went to try and pry the cold, pale hand off his throat, and before the clam, logical voice in his head could even speak…Danny wasn't against his garage door anymore. He was surrounded by four dark walls that were composed of a cold steel and he could practically feel the hands again. He began to struggle violently, using his legs to kick out at his assailant, but the grip only hardened.

_It's going to happen again…It's going to happen again…_

"What do you see, Daniel?" Vlad whispered sibilantly, smirking further when the brush of his lips against the terrified boy's ear made him freeze. It seemed like Martino had practically succeeded in breaking the boy…it wouldn't take much more to crack the boy completely, and that was something that Vlad Masters had no problem finishing. He would have to do it quickly though, before the boy pulled off something unpredictable, a precedent he had set forth too many times. "Were you scared when Mr. Martino would look at you? Did you scream when he touched you, Daniel? No, not you…you probably glared back at him to mask how terrified you really were…but he knew, didn't he? Just like I know that right now…who do you possibly hope to save if you couldn't even save yourself?"

Vlad's smile widened even farther when he saw the angry green of the boy's eyes flicker back to blue, and he let out a soft cry of protest…it would break the heart's of most but Vlad felt only the thrill of near victory. He was starting to chip away the fury that had propelled the boy until now, it wouldn't take much more too—

"Leave. Him. Alone. Plasmius!" a determined voice shouted at the older halfa just as a bright, violet light smashed into Vlad's side painfully. The red-eyed halfa let out a surprised grunt as he went careening into the street, wincing as he made hard contact with the hot asphalt. He pushed himself up and swiveled around to find out who had dared to attack him when he was so close to destroying the boy's will. His eyes widened in mild surprise with what he saw, but the surprise melted into a sneer as he glared at his attacker.

Standing in front of a shaking Danny, who was struggling to get back into a fighting stance with the bespectacled boy's help, was a petite, slip of a girl. Her white dress was covered in green goo, ash marks, and grass stains, but it still clung to every one of her curves in a way that made his eyes widen. The boots she had on clashed, yet matched what she was wearing perfectly and were also covered in green ectoplasm. Her black hair was in disarray, and she had dirt marks on her face…but her eyes were burning as brightly and in the same hue as the pendant around her neck. Her arms were spread wide, and her stance seemed to express her determination to protect the green-eyes halfa. She really did seem prophetic, Vlad mused to himself as his crimson eyes focused on the stone gleaming on her neck.

"My dear girl," Vlad said pleasantly as he brushed some of the rubble off of his white suit. "Do you honestly think that you have any chance against me? Even with the aid of Merlin's jewel you are, sadly, no match for me."

"How did you know about--" Sam began, her voice laced with surprise and suspicion.

"Oh, I know a great deal more about that little trinket than you or your friends do, Samantha," Vlad answered with a smile, so focused on the girl he didn't see green eyes narrow dangerously and alight with fire again. "And I know quite a bit about you as well, more than your parents, more than your friends, more than your dear Daniel, and even more than you do."

"I don't believe you," Sam replied with a roll of her eyes, smiling sardonically at the embittered, old man. "Your stupid lines may work on some people, but they won't work on me…you know nothing more about this stone other than it can shoot blasts from time to time, like you saw at Mance Riley's compound two months ago." Vlad's eyes widened in surprise and Sam plowed on, letting Danny regain the little strength he had left. "You're not the only ones with allies in the Ghost Zone, Plasmius…and our allies are more powerful than yours even if they aren't as numerous."

The two stood at a stand still for a moment, simply content with staring each other down, but Vlad's patience only held out so long before he formed a bright blast of energy in his hands. Sam knew what he planned to do with it, and she could only hope that the nature of the gemstone would react to her danger…otherwise she would be in some serious trouble. This was needed though, for Danny's sake, so she stood still and defiant as the blast raced towards her, chin held high and eyes narrowed into slits. She could hear Danny and Tucker screaming for her to move, but she ignored them, focusing only on the bright glow that started to come from the amethyst.

Before everyone's eyes, including a shaky Valerie who struggled to sit up from inside the Fenton house, a bright purple dome encased Sam completely, absorbing the blast Vlad had sent her way into itself and flaring violently. The dome collapsed and formed a long rod like shape in front of the still, unmoving girl before absorbing back into the gem about her neck. Vlad's mouth opened in slight annoyance before he formed another blast in his hands, but that blast never got shot off. Plasmius was sent sprawling back into the street by a flaming green blast, followed by a furious looking Danny Phantom who glared down at Plasmius with a look that bordered on hatred. You see, Vlad Masters forgot the number one rule for all superheroes…mess with the girlfriend and prepare for an ass whooping despite tremendous odds and fatigue.

Danny blasted Plasmius back into the air and flew up after him, delivering yet another blast that sent the older halfa reeling. His eyes had completely been engulfed by green, leaving no irises or whites left, and he grated out his warning, venom dripping from his voice. "If you want to fight me Plasmius, that's fine, fight me. But, if you EVER try to harm Sam again I swear to God I will kill you."

"Bold words, Daniel," Vlad spat back, dodging another blast sent his way, eyes glowing red with both anger and humiliation. "Do you think you can back them up?"

"Try me."

So he did. The two fought ferociously in the air above Amity Park, weaving in and out of buildings and streets as the two battled for supremacy. Danny could see the fight between Amity Park citizens and Vlad's ghosts, and he wanted to help them, but he knew he couldn't…he had to keep Plasmius focused on him instead of Sam and her pendant. He was starting to wish he had never given her the damn thing. His anger and thirst to make Vlad pay for trying to kill both Sam and Valerie was still burning brightly, but he felt it start to ebb as the hopelessness of the battles below waged on. He could see his schoolmates and teachers fighting alongside ghosts against other ghosts, but Vlad must have been planning this for a while because there were just so many of his!

There were dead bodies, both undead and once living alike, that littered the ground, but everyone kept fighting. He could hear some people cheer for him when they saw him fighting Vlad up in the sky, meeting him blow for blow despite the despair he felt at the situation growing inside him. He supposed he could empathize with them to an extent, they hadn't seen the ever 'infamous' Danny Phantom in over two months…it probably was uplifting to see their vigilante fighting once again, especially when the circumstances were so dire.

But, it didn't help him any…the rage he felt at seeing Sam get blasted at was fading away and he slipped up on a block, resulting in his face getting bashed in by the other halfa's fist. It hurt, hell everything hurt right now, but it didn't hurt as much as the shock wave Vlad seemed to send through his body…that was new. He wiped at the ecto blood leaking from his mouth again, and tried to call on more energy but was sadly shot down when Vlad mustered up enough energy to split into two different Vlads. Now he had to fight two on one with failing reserves…this just wasn't his night. He said night because earlier that day he hadn't known who he was and had a nice make-out session with Sam…those parts were all right, this just sucked.

The two duplicates shot blasts at him, one of which he dodged, but the other caught him in the shoulder and sent him spinning for a second. One of the Vlads dove at him, but Danny evaded easily, only to get hit by the other one, both laughing insidiously in his ears as they pummeled him from both sides. Finally, he had enough…he couldn't take it anymore. He was going to end this, and he didn't care if it killed him…at least it would be over. Danny fixed one last cold glare on the Plasmius's and sucked in a deep breath, emitting an echoing scream that sent waves of ghost energy rolling into everything. He faintly saw a ghost resembling Johnny 13 push an Italian young man with dark hair to the ground and he saw ghosts all around the ducking people get incinerated by the force of his Wail.

He could feel the power eating him up from the inside like it had when he used it against Martino, and Danny silently prayed that he didn't kill anyone here today. He kept it going though as the Vlads were forced to form one again and then forced into the ground by the shockwaves, even after his voice gave out he still kept the waves coming. Finally spent, Danny dropped from the sky and landed with a thud on the ground; he was too spent to even lift an arm…maybe he had overdone it.

"Nice-nicely played Da-daniel," Vlad gritted out as he forced his battered body off the ground, leaking ectoplasm everywhere just like Danny. "Self-sacrifice for a to-town that doesn't even like…like you. I bet you're parents wo-would be proud…to b-bad you lied to th-them for four years eh? They wo-would have accepted you, Daniel, but…but you di-didn't trust th-them. Funny how things wo-work out isn't it?" The beaten form limped over towards the still form of Danny Phantom and sneered down before floating limply into the air. "And you know what? You still didn't protect anyone…not even yourself. I'll be back for your body later Daniel, but…but right now I have bu-business with Miss Manson."

Danny groaned out a no as Vlad took off slowly back towards the Fenton house, trying to shift onto his feet but only succeeding as far as his hands and knees. His voice wouldn't work properly and tears began to cover his cheeks as he watched Plasmius disappear into the smoke that had descended over Amity Park like a dense fog. He vaguely felt two pairs of arms, one warm and the other cold, lift him up off the ground and then one, the warm pair, cradled him against its own body as a brace and began moving the opposite direction he needed to go. He tried to struggle, and tried feebly to make some sort of noise that didn't sound like a wheeze or groan to get his body brace to turn back towards Sam, Tucker, and Valerie…but the person didn't listen. The person, a man maybe, kept whispering that everything was going to be all right, and that they were going to find his parents, but none of that registered in the broken boy's mind.

All that registered was the fact that he was about to lose the one thing in life that made him feel alive…and it was all his fault.

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"Mom?" Jazz whispered as a haunting wail filled the air and made everyone cringe and duck. She had just arrived with Kitty beside her parents, who were fighting with other parents near City Hall and explained how Danny was fighting Plasmius over Casper High when the scream filled the air. It seemed to last forever and then it stopped suddenly, and Jazz glanced up to see something drop from the air a few miles away.

"Oh, Danny," the red-head whispered as she and her parents got back to their feet. Maddie looked ready to cry, knowing from everything her daughter had told her, that Danny had just caused that…it sounded so full of pain.

Jack glared at the sky, seeing nothing but pain for the man who once he had considered his best friend. It was fine for Vlad Masters to hate him that was okay. It was okay for Masters to try and kill him, and even to try and ruin his relationship with Maddie…but it was not okay for him to try and harm his children. And that cry that filled the air was what condemned Vladimir Masters in Jack Fenton's eyes…later it would be known as the day that Jack and Vlad were no longer friends.

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"Oh, poor Ghost-boy," Paulina Sanchez whimpered as the cry ended. She had been helping Dash Baxter, Kwan Ishi, and some other football players fight off the ghosts near the Nasty Burger with some weird looking ghosts, all dressed in armor and hair the color of rainbows. She shed a tear for the love she now knew would never love her back; she had accepted that as she got older, but couldn't escape the harsh pain that reality brought.

"Dude…did he just kill himself or what?" Kwan asked in a quiet voice, earning nothing but a shrug from most of the other jocks around him.

"No," the woman with black eyes said from above, gripping the pommel of her swords tighter as she gazed out towards the residential area of Amity Park. "But he did sacrifice his power to help another…now all we must do is wait for her to finish what she started nearly three months ago and get rid of the ghosts plaguing your city."

"I hear that sister," Dash Baxter growled as he readied the Fenton Blaster his parents had bought him for his sixteenth birthday, along with a car. They said it would come in handy and it sure did…now he would help out that ghost boy for all he had done for the school and him. "Let's get this party started then!"

And so they did, not knowing that they helped a boy whom they ridiculed all throughout high school.

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They were scared…they all were. The last hope against the coming tide was floundering and the Heir had yet to discover her heritage. They couldn't be cursed with using the Abomination…could they? No, it would not come to that. A pair of wings, glittery and translucent, folded back against the figure's back as he watched his people witness the tragedy they could do naught to help. No…they had too many burdens to carry as it were…they had to trust in the human spirit and will like they had once long ago…

Blinking large, all navy eyes the same hue as his wings, Rale just hoped it would be enough.

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Mikey watched in horror as Danny unleashed that awful wail, pulled to the ground by Johnny 13 at the last minute with a warning to cover his ears. He didn't need to be told twice. Afterwards, he watched in horror as Jazz's little brother plummeted and landed with a thud on the ground…the he watched the other thing hiss words to him before flying away. He hadn't wasted time; he and Johnny helped Danny off the ground when he proved he couldn't do it himself, and braced the battered body against his own.

When they headed off where Kitty and Jazz had flown towards, Danny had tried to mumble something and tried to pull away, but Mikey murmured into the boy's hair, a boy who really didn't even know him, words of comfort. He didn't fool himself into thinking they helped Danny at all, but they helped him as he trudged towards Jazz and her family.

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Sam watched in grim fascination as the wail stopped sending shockwaves throughout the city. Tucker was holding a still dizzy Valerie, both watching in horror from the safety of the Fenton home as a familiar green flare burst and fell to the earth. She could feel the pain he was in, and she could feel the fear he had for her, but she didn't know how to reassure him that it would be all right.

_Oh Danny. _She thought to herself as she gripped the pendant and rose from her seat to face what she knew was coming. _You always do so much for everyone…so much that you almost got yourself killed…you can't die yet Danny…not yet. I just got you back and I don't want to give you up so soon. I don't know what to do yet…only that I can do something. Let me…_

"Sam…" Tucker whimpered out as a very bedraggled looking Vlad Plasmius floated down the street, clearly heading for their house. Sam knew what he was thinking…that Danny was dead and Vlad had won. But, she knew that wasn't the case. She flashed Tucker her customary smirk, leaving him with a confused then shocked look as she strode out the door to meet the deranged halfa. She smiled at him, the same way she used to smile at her parents when they thought they could force her to do something she didn't want to and took off the pendant. She dangled it in front of her face and said in a clear and challenging voice, "You want this Plasmius? Come and get it."

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**A/N: **Review por favor!


	14. Part 14: Flicker

**A/N: **Damn the plot bunnies…damn them all.

Okay, on a more serious note, this chapter was extremely hard for me to write due to its nature. We, meaning my family, recently just lost our dog of ten years to intestinal cancer and I'm feeling anything but hopeful right now…hence the angst overdrive I was put into against my will. With that said, I really hope that you all understand the reasons why this chapter took so long to come out…it's hard to write a chapter about the power of being hopeful when events in your life make you question if it makes a difference.

Enjoy and please review!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Part Fourteen: Flicker**_

Sam really didn't have a clear idea of what she was doing, especially now that she had gone out and basically dared Plasmius to kick her butt, but there was nothing for it now. She promised Danny on top of an apartment complex nearly three months ago that she would protect him…and she meant to keep that promise. So, here she stood, dangling her pendant, the apparent cause of nearly everything that had happened this summer, in front of a homicidal maniac who looked like he had been run over by a semi twice over. Maybe that's why she didn't feel all that afraid…

"Sam!" an agitated voice hissed from behind her…she didn't turn to see who it was, she already knew. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"I know what I'm doing, Tucker," Sam replied in a low voice, not tearing her purple gaze away from the limping half ghost for a second. "I'm trying to get this town out of a jam…and buying Danny some time."

She heard him begin another protest, but she began to walk away from the Fenton doorway and wasn't able to catch the rest of it…he was slowed by Valerie and she wasn't. She shifted her hold on the pendant and gripped it in her left fist instead of dangling it; that was pretty much just for show anyway. She narrowed her eyes at the repulsive being not standing more than fifteen yards from her and waited for him to close the remainder of the gap between them. He stopped when he saw that she had, and Sam thought that they had a very distinct western moment as they simply stared at each other.

Danny had really done a number on him, that much was for sure, and Sam almost felt something akin to sympathy build inside her at the sight of the bedraggled man. His normally coifed hair was in disarray about his bruised and scraped face, one red eye leaking fluid and starting to close. He was grasping his right arm in pain, and Sam could see the green ectoplasm leaking in between the fingers, and had barely looked to be walking typically as he favored one leg over the other. His clothes were ripped and shredded in so many places and he generally looked about ready to keel over…it was a wonder in and of itself that he hadn't yet; guess he was determined.

The sympathy vanished as her mind provided an image of what Danny must look like if this was Vlad…this man didn't deserve her pity. Danny had just recovered from something no person, much less an eighteen year old, should have to go through, and now he was fighting for his life again. It wasn't fair, and this monster in front of her was to blame. No, he didn't deserve anything from her…

"So, Miss Manson," Vlad spoke aloud after several moments of tense silence, his voice raspy and cracked, nothing like the smooth and oily voice he usually exuded. "Do you really intend to fight a crippled and injured old man with that destructive crystal or yours? Funny, I didn't think you had it in you to be a killer…"

"Nope, that honors all yours Plasmius," Sam responded lightly, refusing to rise to the bait he offered her. She knew how people like Vlad worked; they used words to belittle and cut down a person until said person was twisted inside from all the poison fed to them. She knew that without all his words, Vlad was nothing more than a slightly demented man who had a control issue…the fact that he had powers was inconsequential due to his recent thrashing by Danny.

"Then, what are you exactly hoping to accomplish by facing with me here and now?" Vlad asked with a sorry attempt at his evil smirk…now it just looked weak and pathetic. "I hope you aren't counting on negotiating the safety of your precious town or something as foolish as that."

"I want you to leave Danny alone," Sam replied with an iron tone to her voice…looks like she could imitate her mother after all. "You've made him suffer enough, and guess what Vlad? He's still not broken…and he's still not defeated by you. Just face it, you've lost…and all I want is for you to fade into your money and riches and never bother him again."

"A steep price my dear," Vlad began before being interrupted by the raven-haired girl.

"Not really. You aren't going to accomplish anything more here either…the ghosts and spirits who are fighting on our side are more powerful than the ones who fight for you, Amity Park isn't going down today. So, let's review really quickly: you're about to lose an army, you've already lost Danny, and oh yeah, Maddie FENTON still doesn't want you…I think that it's safe to say that you're running out of options to turn towards, Plasmius."

"And what about you, Miss Manson?" Vlad asked in a quiet tone, his voice regaining some of its coldness and sneer as the tone was lowered. "Have you ever thought for a moment that my goal for these past few months was never Daniel, but what was you?"

"No," Sam answered with a glare, her hands tightening into balls and her left hand pricking itself on the stone clutched therein. "If that was true, you never would have hired a sicko like Riley to do your dirty work…you've been scheming for the past four years to try and break Danny so he would join you!"

"And how do you know it was me who requested Mr. Riley's…expertise…in the first place?" Sam deepened her glare at the man's smarmy response.

"Because only you have the kind of technology capable of creating something like the Spectral Inhibitors those monsters collared Danny and Bruma with!"

"What a clever little investigator…it's no wonder you did so well in school, Samantha, my dear. All right, I confess…it hasn't always been you, just recently. Would you like to know why?"

Sam didn't deign the man a response, partly because she thought he was full of bull and partly because a part of her recognized the truth ringing from his oily voice. Not speaking seemed like the safest route. She was still plenty angry at the man, but she felt some of her bravado seeing away as he continued to speak with her as if they were discussing the weather…maybe asking to see him cower was a bit much, but anything other than this damn indifference would have been nice! He laughed in a broken way at her silence before pulling his battered frame up into a haughty stance and pulling a sneer onto his features; even in almost utter defeat this guy always had to look like an ass.

"I'll take your silence as an affirmative answer," Vlad spoke when he received nothing but wind for an answer from the slight girl. "It's because of that pretty little pendant clutched in your hand, and what you did with it in that corridor on the day you and your merry men rescued poor Daniel from a dastardly fate. Would you like to tell me what that pretty little stone does?"

"I-someone told me that it created a bond between the giver and the receiver," Sam answered with a small hint of confusion in her voice. Knowledge hadn't told her about the bolts of energy it could send out, and they had surprised her when they first appeared, slamming into and effectively killing Riley. Funny, she hadn't really thought about it too much since Danny had woken up, the fact that she had killed a man, even in a round about way. The blasts scared her…why did the villain always seem to know all the answers?

"Ah, that is true, my dear," Vlad answered with a wave of a shaky hand, grinning at her in a way that made him seem whole and unharmed; she knew she didn't stand a chance against a fully powered Plasmius…the grin was unnerving. "It can create a link between the two individuals, be it friend or foe, that allows the receiver into the giver's mind and also let's the giver feel the other's presence, no matter the distance. But, those are but trifle measures of the power that little stone contains…as I'm sure you know all too well." They always knew…never failed. "But, I digress…tell me, Samantha, how you managed to send out a bolt of pure emotional energy in that fish factory corridor that killed Mance Riley?"

"What?" Sam asked in a bewildered tone, her eyes going wide and darting down to her left hand unconsciously before fixing back on the knowing crimson eyes. "How did you know--?"

"I know quite a bit more about that stone than you would think," was all the answer she received before he launched into a story. "And I'll tell you its story now. Once upon a time, a great mage created a little talisman made from a semi-precious gemstone as a gift to his lover, a beautiful woman whom he loved with all his heart. It was designed so they would always be connected, even in death…which unfortunately was the case when a horrible creature was unleashed upon the world and killed the woman as she attempted to defend a village under attack. The mage, whom I assume you know as Merlin, banded with other of like power, those who called themselves the Bloodlines, and helped seal away the monster, the Abomination, away…and then he sealed away his precious talisman along with other Bloodline families who had like talismans.

"These talismans, for there were many, each did something different that was relatively mundane, and each had a hidden ability that could only be unlocked by one of similar Bloodline…an heirloom of sorts. Now, years past and many of the Bloodlines who had such heirlooms, powers dwindled as the family tree grew…until nearly all of the Bloodline families were diminished but a few…that magic died out one could say."

"If you have a point, that would be fantastic," Sam snapped irritably as she glared anew at the seemingly insane man before her. He was spouting off something that sounded like it belonged in a fairy tale…talking about Merlin and Bloodlines, which she could only assume meant witches in his story, and how their magic had died out. It was crazy people talk for goodness sakes! And the whole time, she could feel the stone tingling in her hand…that had to mean he was full of it or something. At least, that was what Sam was telling herself as she felt the annoying feeling of doubt and belief tug at her mind.

"Oh, but I do Miss Manson," Vlad quipped amiably as he gave her a strange smile. "You see, that blast you created when shooting both Riley and myself was created out of emotional energy, most likely righteous anger your type always seem to have hanging around you at all times, and is NOT a common ability the stone provides…it is something only the heir of the stone can do…so I can assume you're smart enough to fill in the gaps yourself."

Did he…did he just imply that he thought _she_ was some long lost heir to Merlin? Sam just shook her head as she stared at him…it was like being trapped in some horrible sci-fi movie. She really didn't know how to respond to such a statement, so she opted for the short and sweet method. "I'm not a witch, despite what some people at school think. I don't have any powers like Danny does or whatever…"

"Did you not listen to what I told you, girl?" Vlad asked with a little snippet of impatience to his voice now. "I said that the magic had flowed out of most Bloodlines many years ago, so you are correct in your self-assessment; you're not a witch. Nevertheless, you are still the heir of that talisman and the power you bring out of it attests to that. So, whether or not you have 'power' as you so aptly called it or not, matters not when it comes to that stone…it's your very blood that elicits the response."

"So you want the power it gives me then?" Sam asked logically, almost just asking herself as she thought over the new information. She still wasn't sure that she believed what Vlad was saying, the man didn't have qualms about lying to achieve his goal, but some of it felt right. Maybe that was why the stone kept thrumming in her hand…emotional energy. "I don't see how it would do you much good…I don't think you're some distantly related cousin, Plasmius."

"Of course I can't use it by myself," he responded with a shaky laugh, a laugh that really wasn't comforting. "And that is what I propose in a trade off for the protection of your little town and leaving young Daniel alone. You help me, and I help you…quid pro quo."

"You want me to run off and join up with you?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling the heat of her ire in the gem held in her hand. "Danny's right…you are a seriously crazed up fruit loop. If you think that I am even going to think about that, you have more issues than even I thought."

"Then you can almost guarantee my interference in the future," Vlad replied with narrowed eyes. "I have no intention of just relinquishing my claim on Daniel, if you want me out of his life than I need something just as good as his powers…yours, in a way. Take it or leave it, Miss Manson…I'm not going to wait here all day for you to decide, as you can see, I am in a rather large amount of pain currently, as is your dear Daniel."

Sam really didn't know how to respond now…fighting she could handle, him trying to take the stone was manageable. But, he wanted _her_ to come along with him. The thought made her nauseous on so many levels. She knew what her answer was, no doubt in her mind, but now she had to come up with some way to keep an angry and disappointed Vlad from taking off…better to ask questions than answer his. "Why do you want this particular talisman so bad? Aren't there others?"

"Yours is different, my dear." So far so good, Sam thought as he looked ready to launch into another story. There was a thought skittering across her mind and she felt that if she could just get him to talk more about the stupid pendant, it would come to her. "There's a story behind it. You see, there is an ancient tale that the descendants of your line will mingle with that of another…one that the Bloodlines once thought as enemies. Now whether or not that is true, I don't really know, but I do know that the power to create pure emotions into a force is something to be reckoned with. Don't you see, my dear? You could have all the power in the world if you truly wanted too…"

_Power made from pure emotions…my emotions. _Sam had it then, the thought that had been elusive and hard to grab hold of. She could mold any emotion she felt into a form of power that was tangible, like giving heremotions a steroid boost. She opened her left hand and brought the small amethyst to her similarly colored eyes and stared into its facets. _If my anger can be molded to make something so powerful, what else can my emotions do? _Words spoken to her earlier that night suddenly leapt before her, words spoken by an interesting looking being who spoke to her through the pendant.

"…_and then you must trust what your heart and feelings tell you when the storm hits."_

"_Because…it is the Phantom which is needed to win this battle…the Phantom and the stone of Merlin working together…"_

"_Every person needs a light, Samantha…you are his Light, go and show him the correct path."_

The words spoken by Hope suddenly made so much sense. If she could create forces of pure energy using the stone, then what's to say she couldn't put that force into someone else…someone who desperately needed it. She smiled in a knowing way as she placed the stone around her neck and looked straight at Vlad…it was nice to see that he could look confused from time to time. "I don't want power…I just want Danny."

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her heart, in an almost pray-like pose, and focused on nothing but her and her emotions being fed into the pendant. She poured every single ounce of hope she felt into that pendant, every single moment where she thought she would fall but was saved by believing in a white haired hero. She let her faith in him mingle with the hope that everything was going to turn out all right…that everything would be okay. He needed to know how important he was in bringing everyone hope…and he needed to rekindle his own.

_Go help Danny…_

Sam felt a shiver go through her and she snapped her eyes open in time to see a brilliantly violet light, streaked with gold ignite over the crystal and then vanish through the air. She could only hope that it helped in the way she had asked the stone to…that what Vlad had said about her ability to control the pendant ringed true and this whole mess would just be over. She shifted her eyes away from the sky and watched as Tucker and Valerie seemed to be protecting her against Vlad's weak, albeit still formidable, attacks. She felt her anger renew at the sight of a battered Valerie helping her even though she was so hurt, and Tucker looked a little worse for wear now.

"Help me one more time, please," Sam whispered into the stone as she took it off her neck and held it before her like she had earlier. "Help me protect my friends." It responded to the challenge wonderfully, forming a purple dome over the three of them, shielding them from Plasmius's magenta blasts. Tucker and Valerie looked over at Sam, who was smiling at them with a 'devil-may-care' grin, eyes alight in hope. She could see the question forming in both their eyes, and decided to answer it for them before they could ask as they waited for her other plan to come to pass.

"I think I finally got the hang of this stupid thing!"

"That's great, Sam," Tucker said after a few moments of silence passed, green eyes still clouded with confusion. "But, what are we supposed to do about Vlad now?"

"We aren't going to anything, Tuck," Sam replied, fixing her eyes back up at the sky, in the direction her beam of hope had been sent. "We're going to wait for Danny to finish what he started."

"I thought Tucker said that he fell out of the sky," Valerie said in a tried voice, her brown eyes narrowing in concentration as she tried to piece together Sam's cryptic answers. "That he had nearly killed himself, again, using his Ghostly Wail. How the hell is he supposed to defeat Vlad when he's so hurt?"

"Sometimes all you have to do is have a little hope," Sam answered with a smile, not taking her eyes away from the sky for a second.

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It hadn't taken long for both Mikey and Johnny 13 to half carry-half drag Danny to where his parents, sister, and Kitty were. And by the time they got there, it seemed nearly all of their ghostly allies had decided to gather round the Fentons in an attempt to hide Danny's identity from the other people of Amity Park. Not really for his interest, but for theirs…the last thing any ghosts wanted was for a bunch of scientists to start invading their demesne and start making a mess of everything. Plus, the spirits seemed to have taken an interest in the halfa…no one wanted to deal with a pissed off spirit in the Ghost Zone. Johnny was able to use his Shadow to block off the area from sight and Mikey carried the thrashed looking boy to where his parents were.

"Danny, oh my--" Maddie began as Jack swept their son into his massive arms, cradling him protectively as she pushed his hair away from his face. She met Jack's eyes and was met with a similar thought: no parent should have to carry their child like this, so close to death, twice in one summer. "It's okay now, Sweetie…we have you now."

Jazz watched with a horrible sinking sensation as her parents rocked Danny's broken form…if it wasn't for the strong arms surrounding her she probably would have collapsed to the ground then. She looked over and saw some of the ghosts looking at her brother in, dare she say it, pity. Kitty looked about ready to cry with Johnny looking sadly at the black-haired boy who had once been his enemy. Ember looked a little upset, which was saying something, while Skulker, Technus, and Dora all looked at each other with slightly worried faces. Walker just scowled along with his men. She didn't blame them…none of them wanted to bow down to Vlad.

"Desiree," Jazz asked in a thick voice laden with unshed emotion as she looked over at the genie ghost floating above them with a contemplative look on her face. "Can I wish for my brother to be better? Would that work?"

"I do not believe so, child," the harem woman answered with a shake of her head and ebony locks. "I cannot just bring someone back to full health…I can only grant you your wishes that pertain to you. He would have to wish to be better…and I do not think he will. Genies have limitations."

Jazz swallowed the sob that threatened to tear from her throat as she closed her aqua eyes and buried her face in Mikey's chest. Why did everything seem to happen to Danny? The fight was almost over, nearly all of Vlad's goons beaten and sent back to the Ghost Zone, and yet it seemed that her brother had to pay the price. She knew it was selfish to think that way, when there had been a few deaths from the citizens of Amity Park, but she couldn't help it. She was content to cry all of her frustrations out on Mikey's voice when a surprised gasp attracted her eyes upwards to watch what looked like a comet streak towards them.

It was beautiful, Jazz mused silently to herself as she watched it shatter the dome Johnny's Shadow had created and surround her brother; it was a deep purple laced with ribbons of gold that seemed to lift everyone's spirits. She let a smile slowly grace her features when she saw the light healing Danny's body, and even let out a gasp as his eyes snapped open and he sat up in their father's arms. Jack was so surprised by the change that he dropped him, but Danny just floated there before fixing his eyes on Jazz.

They weren't blue, or even green, but a brilliant gold color and he smiled before shooting up into the air, a jet of shimmering purple light trailing after him. The red-head could hear the startled gasps and mutterings coming from ghosts and humans alike, but all she could focus on was what those mysterious eyes told her to do…they told her to hope and that everything was going to turn out all right. And, the funny thing was that she believed it.

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Bruma let the children of Amity Park whom had been aiding her during the night, finish fighting off the remaining ghosts following Vlad's orders, opting to direct her attention towards the sky instead as a flash of violet streaked across the sky and towards the Fenton home. It was the first time in many days that she felt a sense of calm wash over her…a calm that signified her belief that this chapter of events was drawing to a close. She shifted her black eyes to the figure who had floated beside her, allowing a rare smile to grace her lips as she observed the unadulterated joy flashing across her younger sibling's face. Aestas was such a child sometimes.

"I suppose this means we won, eh sister?" the booming summer spirit asked with a loud voice, mirth practically leaking from his glowing yellow eyes.

"Almost," Bruma answered as a slight breeze tossed her rainbow locks in a teasing manner. "But the fight is far from over…"

"Of course not, but now we know for sure, and I'm sure the Others do as well. We will win the next battle as well, sister."

Bruma just smiled at her brother and his optimism. She wished she had that much faith as he did, but she didn't…it wasn't in her nature. But, he did have a point, and she along with her older two siblings would acknowledge it. They did know for sure that Danny was the Hybrid, and that Samantha was the Bloodline descendant…a ghost and a witch. Funny how things worked out sometimes. Now all they had to was wait for events to play out and prepare for the storm that was brewing…

"I suppose so, Aestas…I suppose so."

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**A/N: **I know, I know…this isn't that long, but it never was supposed to be. Believe me, everything that was supposed to be in this chapter, is.

Please do me the favor and review! I'll make you guys a deal…if I get more than twenty reviews, which will let me break two hundred for the first time, I'll get the rest of this story out within two weeks…an update a week. It's really up to you guys…so, if we want this out sooner rather than later, review!

Oh, and just as a side note, I'm sure some of you noticed that I wrote a one-shot in between this update and the previous one, three actually, but only two that I care about. One, called Snapshots, has all sorts of hints and goodies for this story's arc so I suggest you check that out for lots of goodies! The other isn't in this genre, but is, in my opinion, my best work so far on this site. It's title is the same as this stories chapter so please check it out if you have a chance…you don't really need to know the show's history to get the story !

Okay, enough shameless plugging! Review!

Osco


	15. Part 15: Cinders

**A/N: **Well darn it…I guess I have to keep my end of the bargain now, ne? You guys rock my socks so completely off it's a hassle to chase them down and put them back on! I'm not sure if I got that, but whatever. And I'm only two days late on my promise! Not bad considering that I have about five different projects due for my class in a few days…no, I'm not exaggerating, five different things for one class.

I have good news…only one more chapter after this! Bad news…I may not make some friends with this chapter's ending. But, I've had this planned since its inception so please bear with me! You will be well rewarded and pleased with the outcome of this tale, I assure you. Enjoy and please oh please review!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

**_Part Fifteen: Cinders_**

Tucker really hadn't known what to think when he saw Sam calmly stroll out to exchange, what looked like to a common bystander, friendly banter. He also hadn't known what to think when he heard something about Sam being a long lost descendant to Merlin (that seemed almost to video game to him) and her collected voice merely enquiring why he choose her talisman. He definitely didn't know what to think when the raven-haired girl clasped her hands in front of her and whispered something out of earshot, bringing forth this brilliant violet light that raced through the sky. Apparently, neither did Vlad Masters, who seemed only able to gape at the petite girl for a minute before scrunching his bruised face into a scowl and firing a blast at her.

He may not have known what to think, but he certainly knew what to do and his body seemed to react of its own accord, blasting with Fenton blaster and diverting the magenta force off course. Valerie knew what to do too…battered frame and all; she was a vision on her hover-board with her hair flying behind her and an angry gaze in her eyes. She grimaced a bit as she directed the board to circle back down, but Tucker smiled inside at the sight of her forcing it aside as she pulled up her own blaster and shot alongside him at the crazy lunatic. She was so strong…

But, so was Vlad.

Even in the state he was in, he still managed to block their assaults, albeit he didn't look like he was having a picnic doing so. From some hidden reservoir, Plasmius seemed to bring blast upon blast up from nothing and hurl them towards the tired pair, and he didn't seem to be letting up. Tucker was just about to yell for Sam to do something, anything, when a bright purple dome encased the three of them and deflected every single one of the villain's attacks. Tucker looked over at Valerie for a second, seeing the same confused but relieved look mirrored in her chocolate orbs that must have been in his own green ones, before turning around slowly to look behind him.

Sam was standing in a power stance, with that damn stone dangling in front of her, with this huge grin that seemed out of place given the circumstances. Tucker felt his mouth open and close silently, trying to word the questions forming in his mind but unable to string to words together to do so, and Sam just grinned all the wider. "I think I finally got the hang of this stupid thing!" she exclaimed happily before putting the pendant back around her neck.

"That's great, Sam," Tucker replied after a few moments of silence, confusion evident in his tone and expression as he continued to stare at the beaming girl. Valerie must have been thinking something along the same lines as he was…that Sam had finally gone loony like he had told her she was going to since fifth grade. "But, what are we supposed to do about Vlad now?" Tucker was grateful for the shield her little gem had created for them, but it kept things in as much it kept things out. They couldn't afford to just let Vlad stew out there, regaining lost strength.

"We aren't going to do anything, Tuck," Sam replied as she averted her gaze back towards the gray sky…it was close to dawn now; funny how fast the night seem to fly by. Tucker couldn't believe what he had just heard; did using that stone make her loopy? "We are going to wait for Danny to finish what he started."

"I thought Tucker said he fell out of the sky!" Valerie snapped in a tired and beaten voice…she had definitely had enough fighting for one night, Tucker decided. The huntress had undeniably had enough of Sam's weird attitude and her narrowed eyes seemed scary even in her weakened state…only Valerie could have the effect of looking scary while beaten to a pulp. "That he had nearly killed himself, again, using his Ghostly Wail. How the hell is he supposed to defeat Vlad when he's so hurt!"

Tucker was of a like opinion and looked to Sam for an explanation, avoiding the scorching look his could be girlfriend was shooting at anything she could land her eyes on. Yep, Valerie was most assuredly pissed off and not about to take anymore of Sam's cryptic answers or hints anymore. Sam looked unperturbed about the death looks she was receiving, however, and simply content to look up at the sky while a crazy half ghost arch villain was sitting outside their little bubble.

"Sometimes," she said quietly, her eyes not leaving the sky for a second to glance at either of her companions. "All you have to do is have a little bit of hope."

Tucker and Valerie let their gazes drift back to each other, exchanging looks of bafflement at the simple statement that seemed almost beyond their comprehension. Maybe it was just the wording, but something about her tone made it seem strangely prophetic…Tucker decided that maybe he was stuck inside on of those video games he liked so much after all.

"Sam, what are you talk--"

Valerie never finished her sharp reply, as a gasp overtook the sentence and her hands clapped over her mouth in amazement. Tucker directed his green gaze in the same direction as the brown-haired girl's and felt his mouth drop in surprise at the sight that was awarded him. Zipping through the sky and subsequently landing in front of the trio encased in the dome, cackling with a purple energy, was Danny Phantom, completely healed and unmarked as if the past hours of battling had been erased. Tucker and Valerie felt Sam stand beside them but didn't look away from the powerful creature in front of them.

Neither of them could hear the words being exchanged quietly on the other side of the shield, but it was clear that Vlad did not like what he was hearing. The initial shock and rage faded to a stubborn, almost petulant, look and he started to form magenta blasts in his hands…but Danny stood still and calmly defiant against him. A stunned disbelief spread across the crimson-eyed man's face at whatever words were spoken, and he retaliated by sending a powerful looking beam straight at Danny's heart…something that made Tucker yell out and Valerie to move again.

It was unfounded worry though, as the two watched in amazement as the beam seemed to separate and flow around Danny's still form, as if he had a dome around him as well. The rage came back to Vlad's face, and he yelled something at Danny that sounded vaguely like "that's impossible!" before readying another blast. This continued in a pattern for another few minutes before Danny retaliated himself, shooting a green and purple laced blast of his own towards Vlad, trapping him in a similar dome that covered the trio.

It was only then that he turned around and looked at the others with a serene look on his face…a face that was devoid of blue or green eyes. The eyes were instead a strange golden color that glowed in the early pre-dawn of the morning. He gave them a gentle smile and nodded to Sam, sandwiched in between Tucker and Valerie, before turning and walking back to his trapped adversary. The violet dome melted back into nothingness and the sounds from the outside rushed back all at once. And, Tucker noted with a soft smile even though confusion still marred his thinking, the screams and shouts of battle had ended…

Amity Park had been saved for another day.

"How…what did you do?" Tucker asked in a small voice as he glanced over at Sam briefly and then back to his glowing best friend.

"I helped remind Danny how powerful holding onto hope can be," Sam answered with a smirk in her tone as well as on her lips. "Nothing more…the rest was him."

"Sam," Valerie whispered as she tugged on both the bespectacled boy's and the Goth's arms and pointed upwards and behind. "Look…is that the Seasons?" She was pointing towards four rainbow-haired figures flying their way, followed by many ghosts and spirits alike, as if to rally around a leader. It really wasn't so much a question as it was a declaration, that spectrum colored hair couldn't belong to any other beings. Sam smiled in a strange way before grabbing both the huntress and Tucker's arms and dragging them closer to where Danny was standing over Vlad…and closer to where the ghosts and spirits who had helped them save their town were landing.

"I think you're finally going to get your answers, Val," Sam said in a darkly humorous tone as they neared close enough to hear the words exchanged between Danny and Vlad. It wasn't spoken with any malice or spite, but Valerie recoiled slightly anyway…she felt a little guilty about demanding answers from Sam when she should have just trusted her. But, hindsight didn't do her much good, so she just nodded with a neutral face, allowing Tucker to help her stand when Sam let them go. She was still enormously tired and sore…injuries from crashing into walls didn't just go away after a few hours of unconsciousness.

"Hello children," Flora said pleasantly as she and her siblings floated over to where they were stationed, a tired but cheerful smile on her kind face. "This is almost over; methinks…you all did well."

"Why are all the ghosts here?" Tucker asked in curiosity…nearly every single ghost that he could think would've helped them was there, staring at the confrontation between the two halfas for a moment before blinking away to, Tucker assumed, the Ghost Zone. "I'm sure they're all tired too…don't the spirits need to get back?"

""We do," Messis stated with his authoritative voice and brown eyes flashing. "We grow weak the longer we stay here in the living plane, and the ghosts wish to return and heal their wounds, but most would like to see the Abomination defeated first…and pay their respect to the Hybrid in the spirits' cases."

"So does everything start once this is over?" Sam asked miserably, remembering all the warnings these four had given her about some other threat that would attack Danny. They had never given her specifics, never mentioned a name or anything, but all the hinting made her feel like whatever was coming, was coming fast. "This next threat or whatever?"

"No girl," Bruma answered with her face in a blank mask, crossing her arms over her chest to observe the ghosts and spirits as a duty aide in a school yard would. "It does not. Rest and be happy with your victory now…worry about the then when it is upon you."

"So…why are you four waiting for everyone else to get back home?" Valerie asked simply.

"We must thank Daniel for his role in rescuing our sister!" Aestas boomed with a laugh, encircling a nervous looking Valerie and Tucker with his massive arms. "If you three had not sought us out to help him, then we would have never been able to aid Bruma! And since he was incapacitated for a time, he has yet to receive out thanks!"

"I own him a service," Bruma added on as she glanced down at the three humans with her inky black eyes. "A debt…I sought to harm him, even though I was controlled, and must therefore owe him a service to compensate."

"I don't think Danny will care," Tucker replied in a factual tone, quirking his eyebrow at the too-formal winter spirit…these four siblings really did reflect their respective provinces aptly.

"But I do," was all the answer received before Messis shot them a look to be silent. Funny, nearly all the ghosts and spirits had filtered away by this point, leaving only the seasonal spirits and a few ghosts Danny had fought when he first received his powers. Ember, and Skulker were glaring at Vlad with looks of open contempt, while Dora and Technus were gazing at Danny with respect…Desiree was floating above them all with a disinterested look on her beautiful face, smirking slightly when she saw Sam, Tucker, and Valerie with the Seasons. They each blinked out of sight and plane when Bruma gave them each a look, one not too dissimilar from a look a mother gives to a child when it is past a bed time, and left the spirits as the only undead left…besides from Danny and Vlad.

"If you think I will merely give up because of a silly shield, you are vastly mistaken boy!" Vlad exclaimed angrily as he shot a blast at the dome…one that Tucker assumed was not the first. "You won't be able to keep your family and friends safe! You'll fail and I. Will. Win!"

"I think he's cracked," Valerie whispered in Tucker's ear before Bruma spoke up in a deathly calm voice.

"Your role in this is now over, Plasmius. You have been tested and tried and you failed…you are no longer a player in this game."

"You so sure?" Vlad asked with a sneer, taking his eyes away from Danny's still form to glare at Bruma and those behind her. Tucker stifled a chuckle seeing Messis and Flora restrain Aestas from attacking the man, shield or no. "You spirits have no idea the kind of power I have…"

"That may be," Messis spoke, his brown eyes glowing hotly as he glared at the defeated villain. "But there are many ways beside the powers of the living that we can subdue you. My sister speaks true, you're role is now done."

"Plasmius," a melodic voice that was both familiar and alien spoke aloud, tearing Tucker's attention away from the spirits to his best friend…Danny seemed to have broken the silence he had been keeping and now was speaking with a strange voice that sounded much too old for the eighteen year old. "Nothing will save you from me if you continue to try to harm my family. Despite what you believe, I AM more powerful than you…I promise you that if you attempt to hurt anyone I care about again, I will not trap you in a shield and give you a chance to leave."

"Are you threatening to kill me, Daniel?" Vlad asked with a sibilant laugh, refocusing his red gaze on his adversary.

"I will do what I have to, Vlad," was the answer that came from Danny's mouth, shocking Tucker, Valerie, and apparently Vlad, with the candidness and honesty that simple response was laced with. "I won't enjoy it if it comes to that, but I can't allow you to hurt people the way you do…do you even know how hurt Jazz was by your plan to break me? Do you know how devastated my mother was when she found out we were kidnapped, Vlad? Maybe you do, but I don't care anymore. I just want you gone from their lives, and mine. I'm done with this game…cut your losses now and square with what you are in that huge mansion of yours."

Danny was close to Vlad's face now, the shield long taken down, but all Vlad could seem to do was focus on the words flowing from the younger halfa's mouth, like music flows from an instrument. Tucker vaguely wondered where Danny learned to captivate people so well, but one look at the glowing pendant around Sam's neck gave him his answer. Vlad was breaking under these simple words by the very antithesis that was fueling Danny…despair. He shot Sam a questioning look, to which she just murmured, "Maybe by giving him hope, I gave him to power to use despair too…one can't exist without the other."

"Take your life and live it with the money you have," Danny continued in the musical voice. "Take it before the chance escapes you…you've hurt so many people and created enemies because of it. If you don't think I will defeat you next time we meet, think about all those spirits you messed with when you captured one of their own…or think about the ghosts you've used who would rather fight with me than with you.

"Or…think about my mother, the woman you love, as you say, who knows exactly who you are and what you did when you hired Mance Riley to break me. I bet she'd let you live…but I wonder if you could handle the memory of the pure hatred you'd receive from her."

And in a twisted form of reversal, it was Danny who broke down Vladimir Masters with that final statement, uttered in such a soft way it hardly seemed able to convince an evil foe like Plasmius to turn aside. But it did. And he did too, with a lone tear streaking down his face and eyes filled with an echoing despair that made Tucker feel a pang of pity for the man, he turned away from the golden eyes that haunted him and disappeared into the night.

"Does anyone else think that was more than a little strange?" Tucker asked after a few moments of silence. He didn't know what to think…on one hand he was happy that Vlad and his goons were gone, but watching Danny break him so ruthlessly, despite the kind voice he was using, troubled him. As soon as he had uttered the words though, Danny's shoulders slumped and he nearly fell to the ground, saved only by Aestas's large hands that steadied him and helped him turn around. The summer spirit was mumbling to the distraught looking boy in a soft tone…Tucker immediately felt guilty for thinking his previous thoughts.

"It's all right, Daniel," Bruma spoke aloud in a soft tone, strange for her and earning her a few looks from the other humans near. "You did what had to be done…there was no other way to be rid of him than the words you used."

"I did exactly what he would have done," Danny muttered in that strange tone, gold eyes brimming with the pain of what he just had to do. "It's the same…how does that make me any better than him?"

"Because, Danny," Sam whispered gently as she stepped forward and embraced him, something that Tucker bet she had been wanting to do for three months and hadn't been able to. "You hurt inside because of what you did…that's what makes it different." She smiled softly as she pulled away, keeping his hands intertwined with hers. Danny didn't really smile back, but it was something that looked like acceptance to Tucker, and the gold faded from his eyes as he changed back to his human form, leaving only blue behind. He collapsed fully then, Sam right along with him, and the sun rose out over the horizon.

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Sam sat on her front portico, garbed in a loose fitting purple tank and dark jeans, with her pulled back by a head band and ponytail and a serene look on her face as she stared out and down the street. It was hard to believe that only a few weeks ago nearly the entire town had been in dire need of cleaning due to the ghost attack launched by Vlad Plasmius; it was so clean and new looking now. But, the townspeople had risen to the challenge of rebuilding their City Hall and other districts magnificently and the entire city was good as new. Even the nearly destroyed City Hall was up and running again…it was amazing what people could do once they put their minds to something.

Danny's parents and Jazz, plus Mikey, had shown up almost right after she and Danny had passed out from the pendant's effects, and were fine except a few bumps and bruises that were faded and gone. Sam was told that her own parents had shown up soon after, getting a notice of what was happening from Flora, and she had woken up a few minutes after Danny had…feeling fine except for some light-headedness.

Danny and his family had a long and involved talk, about everything from his ghost powers to even touching on what had happened with Riley, and some of the sadness in his eyes from what he did to Plasmius faded, leaving only remnants of that pain that were to stubborn to give up. Just like him. Her parents happened to listen to the whole thing, in addition to Tucker's and Valerie's father (all summoned by Messis apparently), and had only muttered something about it figuring their daughter would fall for a half-dead young man. She didn't know how Danny felt with so many more people, including one he didn't even know that well in Mikey, knowing about his secret, but she hoped he was okay.

Sam had led Danny and the other two away after some of the excitement had died down and told them everything Bruma or one of her siblings deigned to tell her. She told them about the knowledge that she was a descendent of Merlin, and about how Danny was called the Hybrid, and why. Valerie had been angry at first, but she swallowed that soon and just vowed to help against whatever may come. Tucker had laughed, saying something about how it was ironic his life would turn into such a story after all those books and games he played, and Danny was silent…it seemed to be a habit he had acquired in getting his memories back.

So, here Sam sat now, two and a half weeks later, and absolutely dreading the next few days…because in exactly six days, she had to leave to go off to school in New York. The worries about what would happen between her and Danny had been lost during their trying and intense summer, but they had come back in full force now that everything had calmed down. Before, she had been pretty confident that they could work at a long distance relationship, but now…Danny had changed ever since he had gotten his memories back. It wasn't all that surprising really, he had almost been raped and had dealt with the guilt of knowing Jazz was, in addition to nearly being killed a few times…it was bound to happen. But, it made Sam worry that he would need her there with him and she couldn't…it wasn't fair.

"Scowling at the pavement is not going to make it feel for your situation, girl," a cold and sarcastic voice said from beside her, and Sam directed her scowl towards the wintery spirit instead. "Nor will it move me…I suggest with a smile."

"Why's that?"

"Because it would be a surprise instead of the perpetual scowl or smirk adorning your features of late," Bruma dead-panned, causing Sam to do as she suggested, despite her mood. The spirit always seemed to be able to make her smile, usually because she wasn't trying to.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked as she fingered the troublesome little pendant around her neck.

"Fulfilling my debt to your lover child….what did you think?" Bruma shot back, this time with a small smirk on her usually blank face.

Sam blushed and looked away at the mention of calling Danny her lover…Bruma always knew how to get those rare patches of pink to spread across her cheeks. She actually didn't mind Bruma checking up on her, per the request Danny asked for in order to alleviate the debt that Bruma owed him, in her mind. She enjoyed the winter spirit's company, acerbic comments and all, and had actually been meaning to talk to her about something for a while now. She would have asked earlier, but it was something she wanted to do just between the two of them…now seemed like the perfect time.

"Did you always know?" Sam asked quietly, knowing she didn't need to clarify the specifics on the question. She fidgeted with the gemstone a bit more before dropping it and resting back on her elbows, cocking her head to the side inquisitively.

"I suspected that you may have been Merlin's heir," Bruma answered as she turned her head to focus the black eyes she bore on Sam's purple ones. "But I knew for sure after you told me about summoning power from the Crai'agh…only the heirs of the Bloodlines assigned to a talisman could achieve that. I waited until you discovered on your own though…I want it to be your own decision and not to be influenced by my opinion on what you are."

"But, I found out through Vlad," Sam countered with a quick grin.

"Yes, but it was you who decided to believe," the spirit quipped immediately. "Only you, not pressured by our thoughts on the matter…and that is what matters."

"So…what happened now that I know?"

"Nothing, unless you want it to. You cannot stop conflicts from arising, no more than you can stop nature, but you can fight back…and when the time comes, you will decide what the right thing to do is. Until then, I would just enjoy the peace while it decides to grace us…it is a fleeting thing after all."

"How were the spirits formed?" Sam asked before she even knew why she was asking such a personal question…it was just something that had been nagging at her mind for a while now. "I mean, I know that you're dead, but why are you so different from ghosts? And why do you have specific powers and names whereas they don't?"

"That is a rather complicated tale," Bruma answered and then fell silent for a time. Sam thought she wasn't going to answer when she began again, her voice devoid of the harshness it usually carried and her eyes sparkling with something Sam couldn't place. "But I will tell you a shortened version of it. Long ago, a terrible evil was created in arrogance and foolishness, an evil that nearly destroyed its maker. The race responsible took precautions after the storm, and came to the Bloodlines and other magic bearing races and asked for those willing to part with existence to embody and protect certain aspects of nature and life against future evils.

"I was young, just twenty I believe, and my sibling and I agreed to this…we sacrificed our mortal lives to become spirits of the Seasons and help protect those to come. Not to say that there is only my siblings and I who are guardians of the seasons, I am sure there were many before, but we were created into the forms you have seen. That is why we are different from ghosts…we willingly gave our lives while they were torn from theirs."

"So, Clockwork is…" Sam began, already getting a feeling about what the answer was.

"Is known as Aetas to me…spirit of Time," Bruma finished for her. "He is quite attached to the Hybrid, and perhaps even knew who he was before everything was revealed, so he appreciates all that you have done this summer to help him."

"I thought he knew everything," Sam said with a sarcastic edge to her voice.

"He knows all of the past and present, and sees the many different paths the future can take," Bruma clarified with a small grin. "He does not claim to know which path the future will take…and the future was split between Daniel and Vladimir Masters, both of whom are Halflings. That has been cleared up, and Daniel is the Hybrid we have been waiting for, but here was a chance it could have turned out a different way, a different path."

"I don't believe in all this fate stuff," Sam grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her in frustration. "It's like our path is already chosen for us…just seems like we end up having no free will."

"Most entangled in fate usually think that way. However, it is always your choice what to do, Samantha…nothing governs a destiny but the wielder."

Sam smiled gently and was about to ask another question, one about all the references Bruma and her siblings made when it came to some child she was supposed to have one day, when a black-haired, blue-eyed boy distracted her from the fleeting question. He was walking up to her with his hands in his pockets and the same troubled look in his eyes, the look that told her he was about to do something martyr like. And she had a good idea what that something was…

"Sam?" he asked in an absolutely miserable tone that confirmed all of her suspicions. The musical quality that had been in his voice when she shot that ray of hope into him was gone, and he was almost her Danny again…almost being the key word. He needed something that she couldn't give right now, she and he both knew that, and that's why she wasn't so upset with what she knew was going to happen…if this would make him smile again, then she would do it. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"You came here to break up, didn't you?" Sam asked with a sad smile on her face, her violet and knowing eyes boring into him as he just dug his hands deeper into his pockets. "You do know that I'm not that easy to get rid of, right?"

"I'm not 'breaking up' with you, Sam," Danny answered with a tired sigh, meeting her eyes with his own. "I just…I'm not 'right,' right now, you know? And…I need to get better. It's not fair to you that I…that I can't stand contact right now, and I don't want you to worry about me when you're at school. Plus…look at everything that happened here! That's not going to change, Sam…I'm always going to be Danny Phantom and I can't change that."

"I never asked you to," Sam responded in that understanding tone that she knew helped calm him down…he was starting to ramble. "And what if I want to help you get better, Danny? I don't care if you don't want to hold hands, that's fine; I just want you to get better."

"But…I can't have you help." Sam knew she would agree with him…it was impossible not to given the circumstances. She would let him have this, let him go and wait for him to get better on his own, like he wanted. He was giving her a chance to get out of everything, get out of everything dangerous and wild his life was, and have a normal life. Part of her told her this was a good thing, the logical part of course, to step back and make sure this is what she wanted…and her heart didn't argue because it knew her answer would be the same.

So, she nodded and gave him a smile when he told that he loved her more than anything and that he was so sorry. He didn't let her say anything to him though, he went ghost and zipped off; she knew why. If he let her say anything, he would have changed his mind…idiotic boy, she thought with a sad grin. "You didn't even let me ask you not to go."

"May I ask what you were thinking when you let him be an idiot?" Bruma asked in a conversational tone, her eyebrow raised in question and her mouth quirked in a frown.

"He needs this, Bruma," Sam responded as she wiped the lone tear that had escaped her eye, vowing that was all she was going to shed over this. "He needs to figure some things out, and I can't help him do it. I'll let him, and I'll still be here for him when he realizes what a moron he's being. But I'll let him go for now…"

Bruma looked at the girl for a moment before shaking her head and casting a look to the heavens in exasperation. "You humans are so fickle…"

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**A/N: **Hehe…review for the epilogue!


	16. Epilogue: Renewal

**A/N: **Thanks to all who reviewed, more comments at the end! Enjoy!

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_**Ashes to Ashes**_

_**Epilogue: Renewal**_

It had been a long ten months for Danny Fenton…nearly a year but not quite there…ten months. Ten months since he made, what he now considered in retrospect, an idiotic decision that probably couldn't be helped…something that he didn't want to do but knew he had to. Ten months since he had done something that made him disgusted with whom he was, and mirrored him too closely with a man he despised. Ten months since he had fully realized how chaotic and messy his life was always going to be…ten months since he gave those he cared about a choice to leave it behind.

Okay, so really it had been a long year but he didn't like to count those previous three months all that much…he wanted to just move on and not think about those times.

He wasn't depressed, he knew that and could say it truthfully, but that didn't necessarily mean he had come to terms with what he and Jazz went through a year before. He was healing…and for now that was enough for him and his family. So was Jazz…better than most expected, considering her ordeals, and was even planning on returning to school in New York with Mikey come next August. Danny had to admit, despite the annoying and over-bearing streak he had because of his brother instincts, that Mikey was a good guy for his sister. He had not stayed in Amity Park, both he and Jazz knew he had to return to school, but he visited at least twice a month and always brought her cheesecake that she claimed to adore. Whether it was because of the cheesecake or him, Danny knew that Jazz was falling in love with this man…and he was happy for her.

Danny and his sister attended counseling sessions with someone who specialized in post traumatic stress victims, and this heralded the aforementioned healing for both Fenton siblings and Fenton parents. Jazz seemed to come to terms easily that none of what happened was her fault…because she knew it wasn't. Danny…well, needless to say he hadn't been as fortunate. He knew that everything that happened was because of Vlad Master's attempts to destroy his mind, everything from Mance Riley to attacking Amity Park and killing innocent people, and he had a very hard time coming to terms with his guilt. It had been hard…and it still was, but somewhere during those sessions he had started to believe what everyone had been telling him. It wasn't all the way fixed yet, and neither was he, but he thought that it would happen eventually…he just needed a bit more time.

Valerie ended up recovering completely from her injuries that Vlad's attack had caused, and she was back to ghost hunting in no time. She had really been Danny's rock for the past ten months…she had stayed in Amity Park to attend the local university like she had planned on doing from the start. The only difference was that she made frequent visits to California to visit one Tucker Foley, who was attending Caltech due to his prowess at technology. Danny was happy for his best friend, even if he missed him terribly, and was always happy when the bespectacled young man came back home to visit that previous Christmas. Those two deserved the happiness they had found…Danny wasn't the least bit jealous of them.

Nope…not at all.

Speaking of ghost attacks, there had been hardly any over the past year, other than that one night where Vlad led a virtual army against the small Illinois town of Amity Park. Danny had a sinking suspicion that the Season spirits, along with Clockwork, had something to do with that…or maybe it was something else that he didn't understand yet. All he knew was that things had certainly changed…it wasn't everyday you went to attack a ghost and was dumbfounded as said ghost _bowed _at him before disappearing. Every time he tried to ask Messis or Aestas what was going on though, they'd shrug at him and only say that the Ghost Zone was quiet…which was one of the worst lies he ever heard. If there was on thing the Ghost Zone was, it certainly wasn't quiet.

He didn't press though; he had other things to focus on besides the Ghost Zone…like college and trying to maintain his grades while dealing with his "issues" and superhero side gig. Luckily, his parents knowing about his secret ended up being a great help the past school year, and once they had a very long, obligatory, talk about what happened and what he could, they would always offer him help whenever ghost hunting and homework was concerned. It felt nice that they knew, after so long of trying to keep his secret a secret…and he found out that he had been worried for nothing. Well, almost nothing…his parents were still to damn nosy and scientific for his liking.

But, the past was past, and he had another summer ahead of him…he only hoped it was marginally better than the last. Really, there was no where to go but up as compared to the last summer. He had turned nineteen and his parents had finally allowed him to buy a new car…not that there was anything wrong with his old one, but it was a little beat up. Going through a ghost related accident will do that to any car. It was still a truck…just a little newer and blue instead of cream. Tucker had returned for the summer, to a very enthusiastic Valerie and was talking about transferring to a Tech school closer to home. He claimed he didn't like California as much as he thought he would, but Danny knew it was because of a certain chocolate-eyed huntress. Nope…he still wasn't jealous of them.

Mikey was planning a trip for him and Jazz to go see his parents in July…Jazz was doing her best to weave some sort of valid story to tell his parents about what her and Danny's parents did. Jack and Maddie had reinstated themselves back into their kids' lives, and no one had heard mention of Vlad Masters beyond what they might hear in a business report on the news. All in all, things were returning to normal…everything but one.

And that's where we find Danny Fenton, renowned hero Danny Phantom; now…staring off into nothing behind the health food store's counter, in the red "Jerrio's Health and Aid Market" apron, thinking about the stupid decision that he had to make ten months ago. Everything was coming back to normal…everything but the fact that he hadn't seen Sam Manson in all that time and had spoken with her a total of three times since she went off to NYU last August. He really was an idiot…but whining about it couldn't help anyone, so he kept it to himself.

It probably was the best decision given the situation, but that didn't make it the right one. He knew that he wasn't at a place where she could help him ten months ago, he did, but he still felt now as if he ad given up, thrown in the towel, without even trying. He knew that the strain on the relationship, from both the distance and Danny's inner turmoil and guilt about what happened, could very well have torn them apart…but that didn't mean he had to do it and save time the hassle. He knew that he owed it to Sam, the person who would be most affected by his hectic and dangerous life, to give her a choice if she wanted to take it or not…but that didn't stop him from wishing with every fiber in his being that she would chose to stay, despite his mood swings and angsty attitude.

She hadn't been angry with him, she let him have the space he told her he needed and she always had that understanding tone to her voice the few times they talked. He almost wished she had been angry with him…he certainly deserved it. Valerie had told him, on more than one occasion that it was him who needed to decide what it was he wanted…that Sam had already done so and was just waiting for him. Tucker called him a moron in a half teasing, half serious manner, and his sister just left him alone…for once knowing that any talk on the subject would drive his patience out the window. Everyone told him the same thing, just worded different, and he hated what it translated to…because they were right.

Clean up your own mess…it's the only way to fix what can't be taken back.

Problem was, Danny had no idea to begin doing that…he had no idea period. So, here he stood at work, staring off into space and generally being morose as he pondered how to fix the situation between him and the one person he loved since before he even knew what love really was. His coworkers didn't say anything to him…they knew nothing they had to say hadn't been said anyway, but the ornery store manager wasn't of the same opinion. Frank Jerrio narrowed his grey eyes at the sullen youth, a youth who had been through the mill the past year, and stood behind him, waiting for his presence to be known. However, whatever daydream ensnared the black haired youth was quite strong, so he decided to use a more direct approach.

With a slight clearing of his throat, Mr. Jerrio tapped the despondent young man on the shoulder and grinned wilily as he startled the young man back into the present. "I see that whatever you were thinking about is more important than work," he began with an arched eyebrow above his knowing grin…a grin that unnerved many a new employee. "So, how about we break open the gingko biloba and talk it over, man to man!"

"Aw…no thanks Mr. Jerrio," Danny answered with a wary smile that had absolutely no warmth behind it…it was just a mechanic reaction. "I'm sorry…I'll focus better from no--"

"Why? There's no one in here?" Jerrio responded with a hand wave across the empty store to emphasize his point. With a dexterity not expected in a sixty year old man, Jerrio hopped up onto the counter Danny was standing in front of and fixed the young man with a beady glare. "Now…how about you tell old Jerrio what's going on in that head of yours?"

"Well…" Danny began with a nervous breath, his hands wringing his apron as he backed away from the counter and glanced at his manager. "It's kind of hard to explain…"

"Let me guess, you messed up in a big way, probably with a girl, and now you're trying to figure out how to fix it?"

"What…yes!" Danny exclaimed with wide blue eyes, wonder at how the old man seemed to read his mind. And, as if sensing the unspoken question, he answered with an exasperated look only a sixty year old store manager can pull off.

"I'm old kid, not stupid. I was your age once to, you know."

"Then, do you know what I can do?" Danny asked with a hopeful look at seemed to brighten his entire face. Some people were just like that…so expressive that one smile could light up an entire room and one frown could bring it down. Luckily, the frown was gone for the moment, but the smile was still missing…he just hoped his little "intervention" would work out as planned.

"Well…it's different for every girl, kid," Jerrio said with upturned hands and a small frown as the slightly hopeful look on Danny's face deflate. "I guess the best thing to do s just talk with her…it'll work itself out in the end." Danny gave him a look that belied his statement but kept silent as his manager fixed him with a glare. "Tell you what kid, we've got enough coverage for the night…my and Jose can handle it well enough on our own, so why don't you pack up and head home. Give you some time to think a way out of this pickle you've gotten yourself into."

"But, Mr. Jerrio…" Danny began, not feeling great about just leaving an hour early because he was having some relationship (if you could call it that) issues.

"Nope, I don't want to hear another word outta yous until you've figured out a way to make things better between you and your girl. Now scat! Go on, get!" And for the second time in his life, Danny found himself almost literally tossed out of his work, his apron still on and his wallet and keys in hand. That old man certainly could throw when he wanted to.

Danny didn't really think as he drove back home…he preferred to concentrate on the road and not end up in another accident, ghost related or not. He did think about how seemingly useless all his moping around was though…too bad that alone did not seem to snap him out of it. He pulled up into his driveway, careful to leave plenty of room for his parents' RV, should they decide to tear out of the garage and barrel down the street after a rogue ghost, and locked his door behind him, tearing off the apron as he walked into the house. The porch light was on, which meant someone was home, and the front door was unlocked…that was strange though because his parents had been a little paranoid about home security ever since Riley…with good reason mind you, but paranoid nonetheless. He shrugged it off though and walked into the lightened house, calling to whoever was home that he was home…no response greeted him though.

Now, this is when Danny started to become confused because he knew that someone ought to be home…if not then he was seriously fearing for his computer's safety. He called out again as he walked into the front room and then back into the kitchen, a room that was lit. He looked around and found a post-it note taped to the refrigerator…it was from his mom and it said that she, Jazz, and the boys were going out to dinner…why the hell was the door unlocked then?

His attention pulled away from the note and to the figure standing in his backyard, just outside the screen door. He immediately felt an ecto ball of energy form in his left hand and he cautiously opened the door to the outside, peering at the stranger with a strange look of anger and curiosity. Why was he curious over a burglar? Maybe because he didn't feel like there was anything to fear from this person. "Hey!" he shouted in an angry tone at the clearer figure. "Who the hell are you and what are you…"

He felt himself trail off and the ball of energy faded into nothingness in his hand as the figure, most definitely a girl figure, turned around and smirked at him in a gentle teasing manner. The hair was shorter than before, almost a pixie style and curling under her ears, but there was no mistaking those purple eyes anywhere…she was finally home.

"Sam?" he asked quietly as she walked towards him, stopping only a foot or two away from him. Yes, it most definitely was her…that playful smirk outlined in a light purple gloss, her violet eyes aglitter with something he thought he'd lost for sure in his ignorance, her black shirt and jeans a stark contrast against her ivory skin. He cheered inwardly that college had not managed to change his Sam…but then he remembered that she wasn't really his anymore.

"Hey, Danny," she replied in her lilting voice…she was hypnotic to listen to sometimes. "How've you been…summer all right so far?"

She was engaging in small talk…bless this girl! "Fine…it's been fine. You?" he replies with a half grin…an attempt at normalcy between them. He feels awkward as hell, but she doesn't seem to be affected. It was then that Danny noticed that she was still wearing that pendant he gave her for her birthday last year…that little amethyst gem that was both a curse and a blessing.

"I've been good," she replied with a small smile…Lord this was weird. Danny didn't know how to respond to this so he nodded instead…lucky for him she spoke up again and took away the creeping awkwardness. Kind of. "Danny…we really need to talk."

"About what?" he asked while mentally kicking himself…he knew damn well what she was talking about.

"You gave me a sort of ultimatum last August, Danny…and I told you that I'd let you because I thought you needed it. Well, you don't need to be alone anymore, and I know what my answer is…I always have. The question remains is if you know your answer yet. So, do you, Danny Fenton, know what it is you want, or are you going to keep ignoring me and pretend like it doesn't hurt to be apart?" Damn it…he forgot how direct and blunt she was. Well, he didn't forget, he just got accustomed to not dealing with it. Now he was just blathering on in his head to keep from answering her own ultimatum…just fantastic.

"Sam, I…" he didn't know how to word it. Nothing he said was going to make himself feel any better about hurting her because of his "hero gene." He fumbled for words for a few more moments, praying for some sort of inspiration to streak down and hit him in the face…it didn't quite happen that way though. Instead, he felt two very soft lips press gently against his own and then pull away, leaving him to stare into those violet eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

It was lame, but he hoped she would get it.

She did…probably because of that pendant of hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he clutched onto her as if she were his life support, as if she could disappear if he let go. She was whispering in his ear, little nothings that pretty much summed up to, "you are such an idiot sometimes," and "I already forgave you Danny…just let the guilt go already." It still wasn't okay yet, and probably wouldn't be for some time. He was still having issues with contact and he knew that she probably was a bit annoyed with him underneath her calm exterior.

No, it wasn't okay yet…but it was a start. And they'd both start together this time, like they should have in the first place.

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Denea really hated living in her clan sometimes. She never wished for a normal life, because she had seen normal before and hadn't cared for it too much, but she did wish that life was different somehow. Everything seemed to have rules, even using simple magic, and it wasn't fair that she couldn't use hers when she wanted too…all the adults seemed to do it, why couldn't she? She heaved a heavy sigh and sat down, ungainly, next to an old, forgotten Seeing Pool that was rusted with age and overgrown with plants. Sometimes she just wished for a friend to confide all her complaints and frustrations in, someone who wouldn't look down at her because her magic wasn't as strong as the others.

She ran a pale hand through her dull blonde locks and narrowed her scowling brown eyes at the thought of everyone who treated her like a child…she wasn't one! She turned fifteen that May for the Creator's sake! But did anyone give her the time of day, or listen to her suggestions? No! She got up and pounded an angry fist into the calm, inky waters of the Pool, splashing the water on the ground and on her clothes. She took a few steadying breaths before turning away and starting back towards home…she didn't want to miss dinner because of everyone else's problems getting to her. She took an angry step forward, only to stop and turn around suddenly as an eerie green light flooded the clearing. She turned around and slowly walked back to the Pool and gasped at what she saw reflected in the black waters.

It was a beautiful field of glowing flowers, marred only by a singular stone tower in the center, and standing in the flowers, smiling benignly up at Denea, was the most beautiful maiden she'd ever seen. Her white hair was flowing about her, weightless, so pure that the young girl thought it would put freshly dropped snow to shame. She had a flawless figure and her skin color glowed in a soft pearlescent light, reflecting off the short, white dress she was wearing. The dress was the only thing about her that looked less than perfect…it was torn in several places and smudged with a substance not identifiable in others. It was the eyes that really pulled Denea in though…a clear, ocean blue with no trace of white or pupil…just the cerulean blue all throughout.

"Bloodline," she spoke softly in a melodious voice that sounded like water running in a gentle stream, her eyes smiling at the confused girl. "What is your name?"

"D-Denea…my Lady," the girl answered with a shy smile…she felt as if she could trust this beautiful girl in the water unconditionally. "How did you know I was a Bloodline?"

"I know many things child," she answered with a laugh, showing perfectly straight and white teeth. "Like I know how lonely and misunderstood you are…a powerful soul that no one will listen to." Her eyes filled with such compassion as she stared up into the girls' face, who could only nod at the statement. "You poor thing…if you wish it, I could listen to you…I can even teach you a many things as well…"

"Really?"

"Really child. I know you are in need of a friend, and I wish to have one as well. So, will you Denea of the Bloodlines? I have been so alone for so long…"

"Of course!" Denea answered with a smile as the girl's face lit up with such joy that she seemed all the more beautiful. "I can come back tomorrow after classes…is that okay?"

"It is splendid, Denea!"

The blonde smiled softly and turned to go with a soft goodbye and a promise to return on the morrow. She paused for a brief moment and turned her head back around and looked back down at her new friend. "I almost forgot…what is your name, friend?"

The girl merely smiled and answered, "My name was forgotten long ago…but you may call me it. My name is Vani…" Denea smiled and wished her new friend, Vani, a good night and morning before flittering off into the forest back towards the village. The all blue eyes continued to stare up through the black water until it closed completely, leaving her to stare at the green sky of the Dead World with that same gentle smile on her face.

"You have a good night and morning as well, Denea. I look forward to playing with my new puppet on the morrow…"

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**A/N: **I…finished. That doesn't happen often.

I want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading this story! You guys are seriously awesome! There are some particular people I feel compelled to mention however: First, thanks to **Lacey52 **for inspiring me with your wonderful fiction! I know that you've been too busy to read the conclusion of this story, but I'm still grateful for your input and hope you enjoyed the rest of this when you finish!

Second…**Me the Anon One**…oh my Nonny! Thank you for the never ending stream of compliments and advertising of my writing in your own! I'm so happy we met through this story and I'm happy to say that your friendship really helped me out on certain parts of this fic. Seriously, I really don't think I could have done this without you…Kael says hi to Michie and Errol!

Third, **Norris Scott**, because of all the intellectual discussion of characters and plotlines. You seriously helped me with my action sequences, and the admiration you have for my writing, especially coming from such an awesome writer like you, really is touching. I'm so happy I got to know you because of my fic and look forward to those talks again when we both have time eh?

And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank **SilverstarsEbonyskies** for being the reviewer who stuck with me since this story's inception! You've reviewed every chapter and gave me great advice with grammar…thank you so much for putting up with my long waits and confusing twists! You get the Top reviewer award and my thanks for sticking with me the whole way!

Everyone else…I can't describe how happy writing this story has made me! You guys are some of the best, and I'm so thankful you took the time to give this little ficlet that warped into an epic your time and compliments! I'd like to ask that everyone, even those who don't usually review, to drop me a review and tell me what you thought about the story…good, bad, the ugly! I would really love to know!

So…here ends book one of my Rebirth Arc, and it's not as perfect as it might have been, given another path. The story continues in book two of the Rebirth Arc, "Dust to Dust" where our heroes, and heroines, will come face to face with a being that makes them question the bounds of what is good and what is evil.

Thanks you all for your devotion and compliments again…I'll see you when I see you, and remember to always just keep on keeping on!

Osco


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